


Our Existence Is A Horror Story Told From The Monster’s Perspective

by wordbender (singingwithoutwords)



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: (He Deserves Death), (Zhao Also Gets What He Deserves), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Coherent Explanation Within, Cultural Differences, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gaang (Avatar) as Family, Jet (Avatar) Lives, Meanders After Canon Through Season 1 Then Goes Rogue, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Ozai Gets What He Deserves, Pack Dynamics, Protective Azula (Avatar), Sort Of, That Awkward Moment When You Remember Muffinlance's OCs Aren't Canon, Who Will Destroy You If You Touch Her Brother, Yue (Avatar) Lives, Zhao (Avatar) Is An Asshole, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:08:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 65,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27017812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/singingwithoutwords/pseuds/wordbender
Summary: When Azula is 11, her brother presents as an omega.When Azula is 11, she presents as an alpha.When Azula is 11, she and her brother become pack.When Azula is 11, her father hurts her pack.When Azula is 14, she takes her revenge.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Azula/Yue (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 455
Kudos: 1662
Collections: A:tla





	1. Azula Pulls Some Strings

**Author's Note:**

> **re: fake/pretend relationship tag**
> 
> Azula and Zuko have a close, strictly familial relationship that is initially perceived by those around them as being sexual/romantic in nature. For their own reasons, they actively encourage this view. Just to make this clear at the outset: _there is nothing sexual or romantic going on between Zuko and Azula at any point before, during, or after this fic_. People just think there is.
> 
> Fic title taken from [this tumblr post](https://singingwithoutwords.tumblr.com/post/171177439993/cameoamalthea-phoeniciansailor-clairidryl).

The palace halls echoed with silence.

The phrasing was a bit poetic for Azula’s tastes, honestly, but it was true. Zuko had come up with it ages ago, after Mother left them and Grandfather died, and though it didn’t make sense, it made sense. Silence was just the absence of noise, but the silence in the halls was an echoing, growing, greedy _thing_ that swelled and slithered as it ate up any noise that dared to sound in its presence. The palace’s silence echoed in the same way the coolers at the Boiling Rock burned, a concept so absolute that it fed back on itself and became its own counterpart.

The silence today was extra greedy, swallowing up the sound of her footsteps as she strode down the halls with her head up and her eyes forward, careful to move with confidence and ease despite her nervousness. She could not appear less than perfect. Not today.

Not ever.

Footsteps so bouncy and light that they defied the silence trying to eat them approached from behind, and pink flashed in the corner of her eye as Ty Lee fell into place beside her. Darkness on Ty Lee’s other side and Mai, footsteps too silent for the palace’s silence to touch, joined them.

“You sent for us, your Highness?” Ty Lee asked brightly.

“I’m leaving,” Azula said. “The Avatar has resurfaced, and Father wants me to neutralize him. Zuko needs to be informed.”

Mai nodded. That would be her job, omega to omega, the only one who could be alone with Zuko long enough to give him his instructions without tipping off the guards.

“I sail on the evening tide,” Azula continued as they rounded a corner, passing a servant who scrambled out of their way with a hasty bow. “Starting a journey at sunset seems like an ill omen.”

Azula did not believe in omens. She believed in spies, though. She knew _someone_ was listening; she couldn’t simply give plain orders. She’d trained her followers well, though.

“I wonder what would be a _good_ omen,” Ty Lee said. “Prince Iroh knows about that sort of thing, maybe I can ask him when we have tea this afternoon!”

"Perhaps," Azula said with every evidence of not caring. Ty Lee simply smiled at her.

Ty Lee was a treasure. Barred from Zuko and unwilling to spend his time on Azula, Uncle had latched on to the bubbly beta like she was his own flesh and blood, and even if they had not already planned to have tea, he would drop everything to indulge her. Uncle thought Ty Lee was simple and innocent and the perfect way to spy on Azula, but Azula knew very well that Ty Lee was loyal and her own brand of cunning and perfect for helping her manipulate the old dragon.

“Omens are dumb,” Mai said. “I’m not listening to this.” She bowed slightly to Azula and peeled off without a dismissal or a good-bye. Mai was so good at masks of indifference that Azula almost envied her. If not for Father constantly pushing them at each other (and other, more human and therefore strictly unspoken, things), Azula might actually consider marrying her when she took the throne.

Ty Lee continued to babble, holding an entire run-on conversation with herself as Azula went about her duties, ignoring her. No one paid her any mind, even when she followed Azula into the requisitions office to order supplies for the first leg of her journey and arrange for resupplies, or to Father’s head scribe to collect and verify her written orders, or to the docks to approve the ship she’d be taking.

Azula didn’t react when Ty Lee suddenly hugged her and bounded away exclaiming she was late, so neither did anyone else. Azula’s followers were so well-trained that they’d managed to train the entire population of Caldera as well.

Contrary to popular belief, good help was easy to find. You just had to be willing to put in the effort.

* * *

Prince Zuko’s rooms were always guarded. He was, after all, the first omega of the imperial line since Fire Lord Azulon’s youngest aunt, and therefore precious. Four guards at each door might be seen as excessive by some, but most assumed it was because Zuko was Azula’s, and Azula was as possessive as she was paranoid.

Mai knew better. This showy guard was meant to keep Zuko in far more than to keep others out, because Fire Lord Ozai was a number of things it would be treason for her to call him to his face, the mildest of them being _petty_. Zuko was an obstacle and a tool to his father and nothing more, and the Fire Lord would do everything in his power to control the poor boy until he could sell him off to the highest bidder.

It made Mai’s hands itch for her knives.

Mai stopped outside the door and waited for one of the guards to open it. They didn’t knock or announce her, because they never afforded Zuko enough autonomy to actually control who entered his den.

They didn’t follow her in, however. They’d learned better than that _years_ ago: Zuko might be willing to see his den invaded, but Mai was not, and she _did_ have all those knives.

Zuko looked up from the scroll he was reading and smiled. “Hey, Mai.”

“Good day, Prince Zuko,” Mai replied, bowing. “I need your help with a personal matter.”

The door closed the last crack so fast it almost slammed shut, and Mai could hear the guards moving further away, desperate not to hear what they believed she was going to be saying.

“Of course,” Zuko said, setting aside his reading. He was very bad at _using_ the proper codes, but he _knew_ them. Mai only came to speak to him about personal matters when Azula had a message she couldn’t bring him herself. “Please, have a seat.”

Mai moved to the set of couches arranged by the doors overlooking a pond full of quacking turtleducks, fed by a knee-high waterfall that gurgled and splashed enough to make eavesdropping impossible, and sat neatly next to him, an acceptable distance for two omegas who had known each other before presenting. She sat on his right, so that his scarred left side would face the courtyard and her own hair would obscure her face, to foil those who didn’t rely solely on their ears to spy.

“Azula is leaving,” she said immediately. “The Fire Lord has a mission for her. She wants you to go with her.”

Zuko nodded, his unscarred eye widening slightly. “When?” he asked.

“Today. Evening tide. What will you need?”

Zuko’s gaze flicked around his room, cataloguing his belongings and paring them down to only the essentials.

“Some clothing,” he said. “My swords. Probably not much else.”

Mai nodded. “I’ll be borrowing a few outfits, then,” she said. “Gather them up. Jewelry, too.”

Zuko nodded and stood. Mai stood as well, going back to the door and opening it partway. “Send for a servant and a trolley,” she instructed the first guard to turn toward her. “I need some things carried.”

It wasn’t unusual for omegas as close as Mai and Zuko to share clothing and trinkets, and Mai made sure to borrow a few outfits every month or so, so the guards would see nothing unusual about a trunk of things being carted off to her family compound by a servant. Ty Lee would be waiting to intercept it and see it safely to whichever vessel Azula would be leaving on.

Order given, Mai closed the door again and went to help Zuko pack. If she let him do it himself, he’d pack sixteen belts and zero pairs of shoes.

* * *

Azula stood on the dock beside the _Arashi_ , overseeing the last-minute loading. It was unnecessary, of course, but she needed to be where Uncle could see her. She had no doubt Ty Lee would get the man down here, and he had a part to play in her scheme before she could be on her way.

“Princess Azula!”

Azula turned in time to see Ty Lee vault a stack of crates, rolling into a double somersault before springing to her feet and hurrying to throw her arms around Azula.

“Oh, good, we made it!” Ty Lee said happily. “I was worried we’d be too late to say good-bye!”

Uncle stepped around the crates, slightly short of breath. “Lady Ty Lee, please: have pity on a poor old man,” he said with a smile which melted away as he turned his attention to Azula. “Niece.”

“Uncle. How kind of you to see me off.”

“The least I can do,” Uncle assured her, empty formality that rang truer than he probably wanted it to. “The Avatar will be a dangerous opponent.”

“Father would not have given me this mission if he believed me incapable of it,” Azula informed him haughtily.

“Of course not,” Uncle said. “But if you feel I might aid you in some way-”

“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary,” she cut him off, gently prying Ty Lee’s arms open. “I must be going. Zuko is already onboard; if you have any last words for him, I’ll be happy to pass them along.”

Uncle paled. “You are taking your brother with you?” he demanded, while the dockhands did their best to pretend a case of sudden mass deafness.

“Of course. Everyone knows extended travel can wreak havoc on a rut cycle. I’m not going to deprive myself of _all_ the comforts of home.”

“You would endanger him for your own pleasure?”

“What else does he exist for?” Azula asked with a cutting smile, displaying all the sharp edges of herself that he hated so much. So long as he insisted on seeing only the worst in her, she saw no point in showing him anything else.

Uncle drew himself up, and for one wild moment Azula wondered if she might have miscalculated. But no: he slid his cold disapproval on like a mask and folded his hands inside his sleeves and bowed stiffly to her, just shy of deep enough to be proper.

“Safe waters, Niece,” he told her in a voice dead enough to rival Mai at her best. “I must be going.”

Then he turned and walked away.

“ _Ooh_ , that was scary,” Ty Lee whispered, hugging Azula again and planting a quick kiss on her cheek. “Give that to Zuko for me!”

Then she was gone, too, trailing behind Uncle, who would go straight to Father and make veiled demands that he order Azula to send Zuko home. And Father, who would rather cut off his own arm than give in to his brother and would see only the possibility of Zuko coming to harm on this quest, would refuse. Just as she planned.

Azula smiled and turned on her heel, marching up the gangplank.

“ _Commander on deck!_ ” someone called, and everyone not involved in a vital task snapped to attention and saluted as she passed them, making her way to her quarters.

Her cabin was opulent, to say the least, with tapestries hung on the walls and gold inlaid on the furniture, one additional trunk tucked in with her own things and her beloved brother seated on the bed reading _again_.

“Please tell me you brought more than scrolls with you,” she said, rolling her eyes.

Zuko abandoned his scroll and scrambled to his feet. “I brought some books, too,” he said, smiling, and threw his arms around her in much the same way Ty Lee had.

This time, Azula hugged back, pressing close against Zuko and burying her face in the curve of his neck, the gold of his collar cool against her cheek, scenting him like only she was allowed to. Zuko scented her right back like only he was allowed to, and Azula let herself relax into it.

“What happened?” he asked into her hair.

“Uncle is upset I’m endangering you,” she said, pouting.

“Uncle is a fool,” he said. “I can never be in danger if I’m with you.”

Azula smiled, enjoying herself for another moment before reluctantly wiggling free and pulling Zuko down far enough to kiss his cheek.

“From Ty Lee,” she said. “I have to go do actual duties now; I’ll see you for dinner.”

“Have fun being in charge,” he said, grinning at her, and dropped a quick kiss on her forehead.

“Thank you, I will. Enjoy your scroll.”

“I will. Love you, Azula.”

“Love you, too, Zuzu.”

She stepped back into the hall and did not react to the look of undisguised disgust that flashed against the nearest crewman’s face before he managed to hide it. She didn’t care what the crew thought of her, so long as they weren’t stupid enough to take it out on Zuko.

Azula was a very good alpha. She protected what was hers.


	2. Kyoshi Island Sees Some Action

Kyoshi Island was breathtakingly beautiful and mind-numbingly boring.

That was unfair of her, Katara knew. There was plenty to do on Kyoshi Island, just nothing for  _ her _ to do. Sokka was spending all his time training with the warriors and Aang had his group of admirers following him everywhere, and Katara had nothing to do but try and practice her bending and be annoyed. That wasn’t Kyoshi Island’s fault.

Katara sighed, sitting on the sand and watching Aang show off in the bay. She wasn’t jealous or annoyed because Aang was making friends. He was making friends and ignoring her, and she was  _ totally absolutely fine with that _ .

Maybe if she repeated it enough, it would start being true.

She sighed again and stood, leaving the beach and Aang and his groupies. She didn’t have anywhere specific in mind to go; she just wandered off.

She found her way up into the hills surrounding the bay, looking out over the ocean. The ocean was a constant, something ever-changing yet always the same, connecting all parts of the world together. She could stand on Kyoshi Island and look out over the horizon and know that the waters below her also touched home. There were many islands and nations, but only one ocean.

And one giant metal ship aimed directly at the harbor and closing fast.

Katara turned and ran.

* * *

Azula regarded the rapidly-growing bulk of Kyoshi Island with a frown. Zuko knew her moods well enough to know she wasn’t actually troubled; she was just trying to come to a decision where she knew that the answer she preferred wasn’t necessarily the right one.

“What say you, Lieutenant Jee?” she asked after a moment. Jee was too disciplined to jump at being addressed, but he did twitch. Just a little. “A frontal assault, or the diplomatic approach?”

Jee hesitated a long moment before clearing his throat. “I’m afraid I’m not familiar enough with the locale to say, Highness,” he admitted, choosing ignorance as a safer bet than picking the wrong option.

Azula snorted, but let him get away with such a non-answer. “You’re the resident nerd, Zuzu: what do you think?”

“It’s probably best to go in armed but not initiate hostilities,” Zuko said, frowning thoughtfully. “Technically Kyoshi Island is neutral in the war and they might cooperate to preserve that, but literally everything there is named after a previous Avatar for a reason: their loyalty to Kyoshi’s legacy might be enough to push them into opposing us.”

“I thought loyalty was  _ our _ thing,”

Zuko smiled. “Stubbornness is a kind of loyalty,” he pointed out.

Azula rolled her eyes, but Zuko could tell she was fighting a smile. “Diplomacy is boring,” she complained. “Fire is much more fun.”

“Consider it training for when you’re Fire Lord,” Zuko suggested.

Azula sighed. “Fine. Would you like to come along? So you can have a look around in case I decide to raze it?”

“Please don’t raze Kyoshi Island. And yes, I would.”

Azula nodded, turning to the nearest crewman. “A mount and armor for Prince Zuko,” she ordered, ignoring the range of disbelieving-to-horrified expressions as the crew caught up with the fact that she was taking an omega into what would probably become a battle situation. “On the double.”

The crewman in question - Pikesman Kazuto, nervous and jumpy but not a bad beta to have on one’s crew - almost forgot to bow before hurrying away.

Zuko turned to Crewman Teruko. “Crewman, please fetch my swords from our quarters.”

He honestly didn’t know if any of the crew was even aware that he could firebend, but his swordsmanship was public knowledge, and a few people relaxed slightly at the reminder that, omega or no, he wasn’t exactly helpless.

Teruko nodded once and bowed before turning and marching after Kazuto. She was an alpha, but she and Azula had sparred enough for Azula to not see her as a threat or rival, so sending her into their den didn’t pose the same risks as sending, say, Jee.

Kazuto came back with Zuko’s armor and helped him put it on with several nervous glances in Azula’s direction. She enjoyed tormenting the poor guy a little too much, in Zuko’s opinion, but he couldn’t really tell her off for smiling. Even if her smile  _ did _ make her look like she was gleefully contemplating murder.

* * *

Actual practice with actual warriors was interrupted by one of the actual warriors not involved in practicing bursting through the door.

“Captain, we’ve got trouble,” she told Suki. “Fire Nation.”

Suki did that thing that Sokka remembered Dad doing sometimes, where she went completely still for a few seconds before straightening and somehow becoming taller and more commanding than she’d seemed a moment ago.

“A Squad, get everyone to the shelters,” she ordered. “Stay with them and do not engage. B Squad, with me.”

“What about me?” Sokka asked.

“This isn’t your fight,” Suki informed him, like any fight with the Fire Nation didn’t automatically include him.

“They’re probably here for Aang,” Sokka pointed out. “That makes this as much my fight as yours.”

Suki looked him over, then nodded sharply. “Fair,” she said. “How do you feel about sneak attacks?”

Which was how Sokka wound up standing alone in the middle of the village’s main road when the Fire Nation arrived, because Sokka’s part in this sneak attack was to be the bait.

The person in the lead was a girl somewhere around Katara’s age, dressed in armor with a golden flame ornament pinned in her hair, sitting casually astride a massive ugly horned beast that probably towered over her when she was on the ground. She had no visible weapons, and her hands were bare, so she was probably a firebender.

Behind and to her right, on another horned beast, was a boy closer to Sokka’s own age or older with one of the worst burn scars Sokka had ever seen, covering most of the left side of his face. He was also dressed in armor, his long hair pulled back in a high tail, and he had a sword strapped to his back, so probably not a bender. The most notable thing about him (aside from his scar) was the fact that he was wearing a gold collar beneath his armor so fancy that it bordered on gaudy, covered in intricate scrollwork and inlaid with three massive red gems in the front.

Sokka also could have sworn, just for a moment, that he caught the edges of an omega scent coming off the boy, but that was ridiculous. Even the Fire Nation wasn’t dumb enough to put their omegas on the front lines, right?

“Can we help you?” Sokka asked.

“Hello,” Hair Piece Girl said politely. “I’d like to speak to the Avatar, if he’s available.”

“Do you have an appointment?” he replied automatically.

She blinked at him, then laughed. “I like you,” she said, smiling down at him. “Bring the Avatar to me now, and I won’t kill you.”

“Azula,” Collar Boy said, sighing, and Hair Piece Girl - Azula? - sighed right back.

“I did try, Zuzu,” she said. “I said hello first.”

Collar Boy - Zuzu couldn’t possibly be his actual name, could it? - smiled at Azula like she was the best most exasperating person in the world. “Death threats aren’t polite no matter how nicely you say them.”

Azula sighed again, rolling her eyes. “We can discuss this later,” she said before turning back to Sokka. “Well, peasant? Are you going to bring me the Avatar or not?”

“Oh, I get a choice?” Sokka shot back, pretending to be surprised. “Then I’m gonna say ‘not’.”

“Your pyre,” Azula said with a shrug, and her hands burst into blue flame.

Sokka yelped. It was a very manly yelp.

Azula smirked and threw a blue fireball at him. He barely got a fan up in time, deflecting the worst of it, but the trailing edge caught his sleeve and heated his bracer noticeably. She threw another fireball, and he did his very best to not be where she’d been aiming.

A glint of metal and the sound of footsteps to either side, and a pair of Kyoshi Warriors launched themselves off the rooftops at Azula. She dodged one and managed to shove the other off her with minimum struggle. The one she shoved used her giant beastie as a springboard to attack Collar Boy, managing to knock him off his mount completely. Azula snarled and turned in that direction, her fire getting bigger and brighter.

A burst of flame - the normal orange kind - threw one of the Kyoshi Warriors out into the open. Collar Boy dove after her, rolling to his feet with a sword in each hand.

Sokka tackled Azula from behind, knocking her to the ground as well.

Azula sprang to her feet with her hands still on fire, but it was Collar Boy’s sword Sokka had to scramble to avoid. They obviously knew how to fight together; Sokka plus three Kyoshi Warriors that included Suki should have given them trouble. It didn’t seem to.

Azula flipped herself back into the saddle, like a little firebendy showoff. Collar Boy stayed on the ground; he whistled sharply and his mount retreated back toward their ship.

“Fan out,” Azula snapped at the soldiers. “Find him. Set fire to the buildings you’ve searched.”

Collar Boy actually looked concerned, whipping around to stare up at her. “ _ Azula! _ ”

“Come out, Avatar!” Azula ordered, ignoring Collar Boy and raising her voice. “Or I’ll burn this entire island down to bedrock!”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Aang, like some kind of hero in a spirit tale (which, as the Avatar, Sokka supposed he technically  _ was _ ) landed in the middle of the road facing Azula, expression determined.

“Who are you, and what do you want with me?”

“I thought I’d take you prisoner,” Azula said. “We can have a nice chat over tea. Doesn’t that sound fun?”

“I’m sorry, miss, but I can’t do that.”

“Princess.”

Aang blinked. So did Sokka.

“Princess,” Azula repeated. “Crown Princess Azula, heir to the Dragon Throne. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” Aang said, perking up hopefully. “You said you wanted to talk?”

“I said I wanted to take you prisoner,” Azula corrected him. “Talking comes once you’re in custody, if it really has to.”

“I can’t be your prisoner, princess,” Aang said sadly. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not.” Azula grinned and lobbed two handfuls of blue fire at Aang. He dodged the first one and deflected the second with a sharp gust of wind. “I much prefer a good fight.”

Watching Princess Azula and Aang go at it was probably, objectively speaking, spectacular. They were both strong and both obviously masters of their elements, and under other circumstances Sokka would have just stood there and stared in awe. As it was, however, Azula hadn’t come alone. She had all those soldiers with her, and most of the warriors were involved in keeping them uninvolved in the main attraction. Sokka personally, along with Suki and one other warrior, had their hands full dealing with Collar Boy.

Collar Boy was unfairly good with those swords of his, and he also turned out to be a firebender after all, which was just plain illegal, okay, benders were  _ not _ allowed to also be awesome with actual weapons. He didn’t even have the decency to bend like the other firebenders, either. The others were all fireblasts and powerful flames, unarmed combat but with fire thrown in; Collar Boy used darts of fire as projectiles, like little knives made of flame. He liked precise little bolts that slipped past defenses and caught on hems and pierced the edges of fans. It was like fighting an eel-crab that could spit fire, and it was impossible to get past him to Azula.

Also, there was one big problem with fighting firebenders in the middle of a village that Sokka had not really stopped to think through: they set things on fire. Things like houses and trees and piles of firewood and carts. Things like the village. Katara did what she could, but she was only one waterbender. Once the soldiers realized she was putting out their fires, she also had to deal with being attacked.

Katara took a hard hit that knocked her off her feet entirely. Sokka didn't stop to think, just turned and threw himself in her direction. Looking back later, he'd realize Collar Boy let him; in the moment, he was too focused on his little sister to notice or care.

Aang yelled Katara's name, riding a blast of air past Azula and toward Katara. Azula stumbled, and Collar Boy abandoned his fight with Suki to rush to her.

Sokka reached Katara first, deflecting another fireblast, and covered her while she climbed to her feet, panting.

“This is all my fault,” Aang lamented, staring around at the fire struggling to engulf Kyoshi Village, licking at the base of Kyoshi’s statue.

“What should we do?” Katara asked, biting her lip. “I’m running out of water.”

“We should leave,” Sokka said. “Princess Crazy is after Aang: if we leave, maybe she’ll follow.”

Aang hesitated and looked like he wanted to argue. Suki, beautiful savior that she was, cut him off by skidding to a stop next to them.

“You need to leave,” she said.

“But-” Aang started.

“We can’t hold them off forever, and the Fire Nation can’t take the Avatar.  _ You need to go. _ ”

Aang still didn’t look convinced.

“It’s the only way, Aang,” Katara said unhappily, which was what finally tipped the balance and made Aang reluctantly nod.

“Can you hold them off long enough for us to get to Appa?” Sokka asked. Suki nodded immediately. “Okay. Sorry we got your home lit on fire.”

Suki smiled. “Thanks for giving me an excuse to kick Fire Nation butt,” she replied. “Go.”

They went.

They made it to Appa safely and scrambled aboard, taking to the air. Below them, Princess Azula yelled something that sounded like an order, and the firebenders broke off their attack, heading back toward their ship.

Collar Boy paused and made some sort of grand sweeping gesture with both arms before jumping onto Azula’s mount; the fires dotting the village vanished like snuffled candle flames, and Sokka let himself breathe a sigh of relief. They’d escaped, and Kyoshi wasn’t going to burn. They were running away, but Sokka decided to count this as a win.

* * *

Nightfall saw the  _ Arashi _ far away from Kyoshi, back into open waters. Azula wasn’t much for sailing, but she had to admit that the sunset was beautiful, staining the vast ocean red and gold as Agni slipped below the horizon to his rest. She’d never had time for watching sunsets in the palace and no real inclination to, anyway, but Zuko enjoyed seeing beautiful things from time to time, and it was an alpha’s duty to indulge her omega whenever possible, so they watched the day die together before retreating back to their den.

Zuko closed the door behind them and immediately moved to help her out of her armor. It was one of those rituals they’d always talked about having, during his heats back at the palace where the knowledge that as soon as his heat ended she’d have to leave kept them from enjoying themselves completely in the moment, a pretty little daydream of them behaving as a proper pack. She’d carry out her duties and come back to their den - their shared den, their den that everyone knew was  _ theirs _ and didn’t belong to only one or the other - and he’d undress her, bathe her, ready her for bed, and no one would look at them in disgust because everyone would know what they really were to each other. Not this stolen little nest surrounded by sneers because the Fire Nation had forgotten what pack meant.

Zuko stripped her down and helped her dress for bed, then sat her down in front of the mirror and took the crown out of her hair, letting it tumble loose around her shoulders. He combed her hair and braided it for her, then they moved to the bed and Azula snuffed out the lamps.

Zuko waited until they were lying down, Azula sprawled halfway on top of him, before he spoke.

“What happened back there?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” she replied, even though they both knew that they both knew exactly what he meant.

“What’s going on in your head? You and I both know you could have captured the Avatar easily. You  _ let _ him escape. Why?”

Azula sighed. Her poor sweet simple Zuzu. He’d have never survived long enough to become Fire Lord; the court would have eaten him alive.

“Zuko, Father gave me a very important mission,” she said. “And if I complete it, he’ll give me a very big reward.”

“Okay?” Zuko said, clearly still puzzled.

“He’ll reward me with a betrothal contract, Zuzu,” she explained. “And guess what imperial alphas don’t get to keep once they’re betrothed.”

“Attendant omegas,” Zuko answered after a moment, one hand straying automatically to his collar.

“Exactly. If I bring the Avatar to Father in chains, he’ll promise me to Mai or some other noble omega, and he’ll finally be able to marry you off. And I know for a fact that his current pick is that rotten sheep-turkey’s egg Zhao.”

Zuko shuddered. Azula didn’t blame him. Zhao was dumb, gross, and very open about how much he’d like to put his paws all over what belonged to Azula. She’d given him plenty of scars for his arrogance, but hadn’t yet managed to dissuade him, and nobody would be willing to promise Father as much for Zuko’s hand as Zhao. She really should get around to actually killing the fleatick one of these days. Maybe as a birthday gift to herself.

“You’re only fourteen, surely Father wouldn’t-”

“Zuzu, Father was already considering betrothals for me before my first rut was over. Fourteen is more than old enough.”

Zuko sighed. “Do you have a plan yet?”

For anyone else, Azula would smirk confidently and claim to have half a dozen plans in mind too complex for their tiny brain to comprehend. For Zuko, she shook her head. “Not yet. I wasn’t counting on the Avatar being a little boy.”

“You’ll think of something,” Zuko said with utter faith and certainty, kissing the top of her head. “We should probably get some sleep for now.”

“But I’m not  _ tired _ ,” Azula complained, smiling when Zuko snorted in amusement. “Sing me a lullaby, omega.”

Zuko laughed and shifted, settling them both more comfortably, then began to sing softly.

“ _ Agni is sleeping and you should be, too;  
No one’s awake but the moon, me, and you,” _

It was an old lullaby, older than the war, one Father hated and Mother had insisted on singing to them, anyway. It was Zuko’s favorite, and - though she’d never admit it out loud - Azula’s, too.

_ “The day’s sped away and now the night’s here:  
Go to sleep, little child, there’s nothing to fear,” _

If Azula closed her eyes and listened hard, she could just barely hear Mother’s smooth voice under Zuko’s comforting rasp, a half-remembered echo from before the time she thought she was too old for lullabies. She graciously allowed Mother’s memory to share in the sound of Zuko’s voice, singing just for her.

_ “Agni’s asleep, but Tui shines bright,  
And nothing can harm you in her silvered light,” _

Azula let herself drift, comfortable and safe, secure in her den with her pack. Tomorrow she would need to plan, need to think, to be the pack alpha.

_ “She’ll watch over you asleep in your bed,  
Safe in her sight ‘til darkness has fled. _ ”

For now, all she needed to be was a little sister.


	3. Katara Encounters The Rumor Mill

Teruko was pretty sure the rest of the crew thought she was insane, but she genuinely enjoyed sparring with Princess Azula. The girl was insanely powerful and downright ruthless, but her control was impeccable and her techniques unlike anything Teruko had faced before. The incidental burns - and make no mistake, they  _ were _ incidental, only acquired when Teruko slipped up and not because Princess Azula was deliberately trying to injure her - were worth everything she was learning.

The sun shone especially bright today, glinting hard off the deck and turning the ocean into a bed of diamonds. Teruko managed to hold her own longer than usual, but she eventually wound up flat on the deck with Princess Azula standing over her poised to strike, just like always. She was never going to beat the girl, but Agni, did she love trying.

“I yield,” she said, letting her own flames die.

Princess Azula smirked down at her and relaxed, holding out one still-flaming hand. An obvious trap, one might say: she couldn’t very well refuse the Crown Princess’s hand, nor could she hope to wrest control of Princess Azula’s fire from her. But a bender’s fire, still connected to their chi, only burned what they wanted it to. It took impressive skill to control it so completely as to literally only burn air; the princess wasn’t trying to trap her, she was  _ showing off _ .

Teruko took the hand without hesitation and hauled herself to her feet. Her own hand, when she took it back, was unburned.

“Thank you for the honor of testing my flame, your Highness,” she said with a bow.

Princess Azula inclined her head graciously.

“Now that you’re all warmed up,” Prince Zuko spoke up from the sidelines, “Can  _ I _ fight you? It’s been a while since we last sparred.”

Princess Azula turned, and her smirk became a genuine smile as Teruko stepped back.

“Anything for you, dear Zuzu,” she said.

Prince Zuko smiled, unsheathing his swords. “Go easy on me,” he said. It sounded like a joke.

Teruko took herself to the sidelines and stayed there. She hadn’t been part of the landing party back at Kyoshi, but she’d heard some things from New Guy, and watching a bender and nonbender spar was always interesting regardless.

A few other crew members stopped to watch as Prince Zuko walked to the center of the sparring ring, settling into a resting stance. Princess Azula drew herself up opposite him, smiling.

_ Interesting _ didn’t even  _ begin  _ to cover it.

Princess Azula didn’t go this all out when she sparred with Teruko. Her fire sizzled and flared, eddying and swirling with showy flourishes, bigger and brighter than Teruko was used to seeing, leaving blackened rents in the deck where it struck. Prince Zuko, for his part, was slipperier than a wet eel-hound puppy, sunlight flashing off his swords as he danced between the princess’s flames like this was an exhibition and not a spar.

Prince Zuko rolled under a whip of fire and vaulted another, landing close enough to sweep Princess Azula’s legs out from under her. She turned her fall into a one-handed cartwheel and backflipped away, throwing fire before she even landed. Prince Zuko deflected the blast like it was nothing, like Teruko couldn't see the air boiling with the heat of it, and closed again.

The royal children chased each other around the ring for almost ten minutes, flame against steel, far longer than Teruko had yet to last against Princess Azula.

The match ended in a draw, Prince Zuko’s sword resting against the side of Princess Azula’s neck, her flaming fist inches from his scarred face. Neither flinched. Some might say pride, but Teruko had been a soldier long enough to know trust when she saw it.

After a long moment, they both smiled and moved back. Princess Azula doused her flames and Prince Zuko sheathed his swords, and they bowed to each other as respected equals.

“Excellent bout, your Highnesses,” Teruko commented.

Princess Azula, unaccountably, blushed. Then she grabbed her brother’s wrist and fled.

Teruko smiled. Young alphas were so  _ cute  _ when they got big enough for their first real crush.

* * *

“So,” Zuko said once they were safely back in their den. “Crewman Teruko, huh?”

“ _ Shut up, _ ” Azula groaned, stomping away to throw herself dramatically on the bed.

“I’m sure she’s flattered, Azula.”

“Zuzu, I will murder you.”

“But what would Crewman Teruko say?”

Azula threw a pillow at him. He probably deserved it.

* * *

After they’d accidentally chased Haru back to his village and almost gotten into a fight with his mom, Katara left Sokka and Aang to get settled in the barn and hurried after Haru.

“Hey,” she said, falling into step beside him as they entered the forest. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry. About what I said earlier.”

“It’s okay,” Haru told her with a kind smile. “I know how you feel.”

“Oh?”

He nodded. “I want to fight back, too. Like my dad did. When the Fire Nation invaded, he and all the other earthbenders fought. They lost, but at least they tried.”

“It sucks not being able to do anything,” Katara agreed, sighing. “I hate feeling helpless.”

“The Fire Nation’s good at making people feel that way, huh?”

“So good. I hate that half the time all we can do is run away.”

“You’re running from the Fire Nation?”

Katara blinked, her mind catching up with her mouth. “Oops.”

“Don’t worry,” Haru reassured her. “I won’t turn you in. Any enemy of the Fire Nation is a friend of mine.”

“Same,” Katara said with a cautious smile.

They walked in silence for a few minutes more before Haru asked, “So have you had a lot of run-ins with the Fire Nation?”

“ _ Way _ too many,” Katara said, sighing. “Each more horrible than the last. The worst is probably Princess Azula; she’s scary.”

“I’ve heard of her,” Haru admitted. “Most of what I’ve heard is… not good.”

“How so?”

“Most of it’s not really things I should repeat.”

“Haru, please,” Katara said. “She’s after us. Anything you know could help us when we run into her again.”

Haru sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck and sneaking nervous glances around them. “Well,” he said at length, “Everyone knows about how her fire’s blue. It’s hotter than the fire of other benders, and she’s  _ crazy  _ strong. They also say she’s just plain crazy, too. The things they say about her and her brother...”

“I didn’t know she had a brother.”

Haru nodded, sneaking another look around and lowering his voice slightly. “She does. He’s an omega, apparently. Rumor has it that she… she forces him to act as her lover. They even say she collars him like a slave and takes him everywhere with her so she can…  _ do things _ to him whenever she wants. But I don’t know if that’s true.”

Katara thought back to the attack on Kyoshi Island, the Fire Princess on her great beast and the pretty young man with her, the one with the terrible burn scar and the fancy gold collar who’d never strayed far from Princess Azula’s side even in the heat of battle, and felt her blood run cold.

“That was her  _ brother _ ?” she demanded, half of Haru and half of the empty forest around them. “Tui and La, I think I’m gonna be sick.”

Haru winced. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have-”

“No, it’s okay,” she assured him hastily, fighting to keep her lunch in her stomach where it belonged while trying not to remember the way the boy - the prince - had smiled so softly and warmly at  _ his sister _ that she’d mistaken him for a  _ boyfriend _ when she’d first seen it. “I’m better off knowing.”

“Are you gonna be okay?” Haru asked worriedly.

“Yes,” she said, sitting down on a fallen tree to collect herself. “I just… I just need a moment.  _ Spirits _ .”

“Pretty much,” Haru agreed, sitting next to her. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she said again, which was kind of ruined by her shuddering. “I knew the Fire Nation was messed up, but...”

“Yeah.”

They sat in silence while Katara tried to process this. She tried to tell herself it was just rumors and she shouldn’t jump to conclusions, but it was hard not to when she remembered the way Princess Azula and the boy who must be her brother had behaved, the little split-second touches and looks and how he’d stuck so close to her and  _ she’d put her own brother in a collar _ . Katara wasn’t sure if she could wrap her brain around that.

A loud boom echoed through the forest, followed by a cry for help. Without a word, they both stood and rushed toward it.

Katara was secretly glad for the interruption. At least now she had something else to think about.

* * *

While omegas usually had a day or so of warning in the form of preheats, ruts were harder to see coming. There was no pre-rut, no definite change to scent or behavior beforehand; in Azula’s case especially, she simply was not in rut one minute and in rut the next.

She absolutely hated it. Her body could at least  _ warn  _ her before it decided to be inconvenient.

Zuko didn’t often see that switch in person; Father had unofficially confined him to his rooms years ago, just after he and Azula had presented, and Azula usually came to fetch him once her rut had already started. Mai saw it all the time, though, and she’d given him what warnings she could, so when Azula went from listening calmly to Jee explain local weather hazards to snapping at the man to back off in the space of a heartbeat, Zuko was the only one who immediately realized why.

Azula snarled, her fingers curling into claws that scraped across the map, her muscles going tense and ready. Normally Zuko being right next to her would keep her calm, except there were multiple other alphas on the bridge with them, and Azula’s instincts were telling her she had to fight them all to keep them away from him.

(Thank Agni Crewman Teruko wasn’t here. They did  _ not _ need that complication on top of everything else.)

“Azula,” Zuko said as calmly as he could, laying a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t respond to his voice or his touch. “ _ Alpha. _ ”

That got her attention, pulling her focus away from Jee, who was the nearest alpha and therefore the biggest threat in her eyes at the moment.

Zuko coaxed her away from the table, turning her bodily toward him and pulling her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him and growled, rubbing possessively against his chest.

“No one is challenging you,” he told her, just like Mai had taught him: calm, even, certain in Azula’s absolute authority and control. “No one is trying to claim what’s yours.”

She growled again, but not as harshly. She was calming down a bit.

“Take me back to our den, Alpha?” he asked. He needed to get her away from other alphas and into their own private space, where she could stop posturing and get back control of herself, and making her feel like doing so was providing for him would make that happen faster.

Azula nodded, switching from a hug to a death grip on his arm and dragging him off the bridge and down to their cabin.

As soon as the door was closed and sealed, Azula relaxed, immediately burrowing back into his arms. Zuko relaxed, too, and smiled.

“Back with me?”

Azula groaned feelingly into his chest.

Zuko laughed at her, because he was allowed to and her omega being happy would keep her calmer and Azula knew he wasn’t actually mocking her.

Azula retaliated by shoving him onto the bed and flopping gracelessly on top of him amid the soft nest of pillows and blankets they’d been sharing every night like he used to dream about when they’d had to stay in their own rooms on opposite sides of the palace and their still-new packbond had twinged and strained painfully at the separation. Now they were  _ always _ together, and it felt  _ right _ in a way he couldn’t put into words, and he didn’t know how they’d ever go back to living another way.

Zuko sighed, pushing those thoughts away. He could worry about that later; for now, his pack needed him.

He shifted around so that he was curled around Azula, her face buried in his neck, his cheek resting against her hair, good eye toward the door. Azula muttered darkly into his shoulder for a few minutes before she relaxed the rest of the way, sighing.

“I hate that part,” she complained, squirming to get out of her armor without breaking his grip.

Zuko hummed agreeably while Azula stripped herself to her underclothes and dug her sleeping robe out of the blankets, then set about giving him the same treatment. “At least it’s over.”

Azula muttered some more. “Why do you get a warning and I don’t? It’s not fair.”

“If you got a warning you’d be too powerful,” Zuko informed her, smiling. “You’d weaponize it and the world would never be safe.”

Azula groaned. “It’s like the spirits don’t  _ want _ me to rule the world or something.”

“They’re scared you’ll take over the Spirit World next.”

She snorted. “I might, just to spite them. Watch me.”

For all her talent and skills, Azula was still a fourteen-year-old alpha and, like most fourteen-year-old alphas, spite was one of her chief motivators: she spent at least the next hour making increasingly complex plans to invade the Spirit World just to prove she could.

Zuko held her and continued to make agreeable noises while she did it. Zuko’s heats were the only time he could really be sixteen and needy, and Azula’s ruts were the only time she could be fourteen and unreasonable; he’d never take that from her.

For the next two days or so, she could make as many ridiculous plans to invade the Spirit World as she wanted, and he’d agree that each and every one of them was perfectly feasible. It was the least he could do for his pack.

* * *

After Katara’s  ~~ first  ~~ _ one and only because they were never doing this again _ prison break, Sokka made the decision to peel off from the little fleet of escapees and head out on Appa. They’d done what they could, and Katara was right: they had their own mission to complete. So off they went.

They flew in silence for almost an hour before Katara suddenly sat up from where she’d been leaning against the edge of the saddle absently rubbing at her bare neck.

“I completely forgot in all the excitement,” she said, “but I got us some information on the enemy.”

“Which enemy, specifically?” Sokka asked.

“Princess Azula. Haru heard some rumors. He shared them with me.”

“You do not look happy about this boon to our understanding of the opposition,” Sokka noted, frowning.

“It’s… it’s not really about her fighting or anything,” Katara admitted. “More, what she’s like as a person. She’s not a good person.”

“We knew that already,” he said. “She’s trying to capture Aang. Also, she’s the Fire Nation princess. Pretty sure she had to pass a badness test for the position.”

“You don’t understand,” Katara protested. “Haru said...” she sighed. “Do you remember the boy who was with her? The one with the fancy collar?”

“Of course I remember Collar Boy,” Sokka said. “Bending  _ and _ swords? Not cool.”

“According to what Haru said, that’s her brother.” She said it like that was in itself a bad thing. Sokka waited, and was rewarded with the ‘why’. “He’s also her lover.”

Sokka choked on air for a moment. “ _ What? _ ”

Katara nodded unhappily. “Haru said he’s an omega, and she’s forcing him to be her lover. That he has that collar because she put it on him like a  _ slave _ .”

“That... makes sense,” Sokka said, feeling faintly ill. “I… back on Kyoshi, while I was fighting Collar Boy, he did smell like an omega.” And spirits, he needed a new nickname for the guy if this was true. “I thought maybe I was imagining it, but...”

Katara shuddered. “Her own brother.”

“Guys,” Aang said fretfully. “It’s just rumors, we don’t know that it’s true. Right?”

“People don’t just make up rumors like that, Aang,” Sokka pointed out.

“We still don’t know for sure,” Aang protested. “And it’s not nice to gossip about people, even if you don’t like them. We shouldn’t be saying these things.”

“I’m just relaying what Haru told me,” Katara said. “It’s important that we know how rotten Princess Azula is.”

“It’s a misunderstanding,” Aang insisted. “Or just a lie. We shouldn’t spread it.”

Sokka and Katara exchanged a look, but didn’t say anything further. Aang was just a kid who hadn’t even presented yet, but Sokka and Katara were all grown into their secondary genders. They wouldn’t keep discussing it, but they’d both keep it in mind.

An alpha that twisted could be dangerous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Azula: *decides without my input that she has a precocious crush on Teruko*  
> me: okay but you know Zuko's gonna make fun of you for this forever  
> Teruko: *far more amused by this than she should be*
> 
> Next chapter contains Gaang/Fire Sib interaction and Azula putting the fear of Agni into Zhao. It's gonna be great.


	4. The Bison-Back Pack Invades The Fire Nation

Aang had never in his entire life felt as relieved as he did when the bamboo parted and Sokka staggered out of the Spirit World complaining that he needed the bathroom.

It was weird how relieved he was, really. Sure it made sense to be glad Sokka was okay: Sokka was his friend and he cared about him, of course he was happy to have him back, but that wasn’t enough to describe what Aang was feeling as Sokka hurried off and Katara sank to the ground all loose and happy and looking just as relieved as Aang felt.

Aang sat down beside Katara and put an arm around her, and Katara leaned against him without even hesitating. The usual happiness of Katara being so close struggled to break through all that relief, and when Sokka came back and Katara immediately jumped to her feet to hug him, Aang didn’t even feel jealous. He just got up and hugged Sokka, too.

It was weird, but it wasn’t bad.

Sokka wrapped one arm around Katara’s shoulders and the other around Aang’s and didn’t let go of them for the rest of the day unless he absolutely had to. Again: weird, but not bad. Weird, but it also felt  _ right _ . Aang could get used to this.

It sucked a little that he wasn’t going to get the chance.

* * *

Later that night, once everyone else was asleep, Aang carefully wiggled his way out of the tangle of limbs he and Katara and Sokka had somehow wound up in and snuck outside. He had to go to the Fire Nation to speak to Avatar Roku, but he couldn’t ask Sokka and Katara to go with him. It was just too dangerous. He had to protect them, even if it meant leaving them behind.

Now if only Appa would cooperate with him!

“Get your big butt off the ground and let's go!” he ordered the big stubborn bison, maybe a little louder than he should’ve, but Appa continued to just sit there all stubbornly and  _ not get up and go _ .

“I think his big butt is trying to tell ya something.”

Aang turned sharply to find Sokka and Katara and what looked like the whole entire village standing behind him. Katara looked worried. Sokka looked grumpy. They both also looked really, really determined.

“Sneaking out on us,” Sokka continued, shaking his head. “Not cool, Aang.”

“You don’t understand,” Aang said. “I  _ have _ to go to the Fire Nation. I  _ need _ to talk to Avatar Roku!”

“I  _ do _ understand,” Sokka disagreed. “Really, Aang, I get it. What I  _ don’t  _ get is why you’re trying to go without us.”

Aang blinked at him. “What?”

“We’re going with you, Aang,” Katara told him. “We’d never let you go into that kind of danger alone. We’re pack.”

“We are?”

“Of course we are, buddy,” Sokka said, stepping forward and clapping a hand on Aang’s shoulder. “Admittedly it’s a small pack, and we haven’t been one long, but it still counts.”

“Yeah,” Katara agreed, smiling and moving to put her own hand on Aang’s other shoulder. “We’re a pack, Aang. If that’s okay with you,” she added, biting her lip. “We don’t want you to think you  _ have _ to, that’s not how packs work, but if you  _ want _ to be a pack, we are.”

Aang… Aang was gonna cry. Happy cry. Because he knew that the Water Tribes were really super serious about their packs and didn’t make new packs on a whim, and after…  _ after _ , he hadn’t thought he’d ever have a pack again.

“Buddy?” Sokka asked, breaking Aang out of his thoughts.

Aang swallowed around the lump in his throat and hugged them both as tight as he could. They hugged him back immediately, surrounding him, and he realized that his relief earlier hadn’t been weird at all: it was perfectly normal to be that moved by finding a member of his pack was safe.

“We’re pack,” he informed them through his tears.

“And packs stick together,” Katara added, squeezing him a little.

“So we’re  _ all  _ going to pay Avatar Roku a visit,” Sokka concluded.

Movement nearby broke through their little bubble, and Aang lifted his head from Katara’s shoulder to find the village leader standing next to them with a bundle in his hands.

“You'll have to fly fast to have any chance of making it before sundown,” he said, handing the bundle to Aang once he’d extricated himself from the pack-hug. “Good luck.”

“Thank you,” Aang said, bowing, while Katara and Sokka scrambled up onto Appa.

Aang followed them, and this time when Sokka shook the reins and yip-yipped at him, Appa happily rose into the sky.

* * *

Getting to the Fire Temple was a lot easier than Sokka expected. None of the usual array of Fire Nation weirdos who tended to pop up to chase them put in an appearance the entire time. Not one single fireball the entire flight. Sokka was enough of a realist to know that they were going to pay for this easiness later.

Katara told him to stop being so paranoid. Katara didn’t know what she was talking about.

Getting into the Temple was also pretty easy. Sokka was immediately proven right when the Sages inside it immediately started throwing fire at them. He didn’t even have time to tell Aang and Katara he’d told them so, but he did manage to give Katara a look that promised he’d be informing her at length later.

Y’know, once they weren’t being chased by evil firebenders.

Aang managed to find what was probably the only decent person in the entire Fire Nation. Shyu agreed to take them to Roku, and caught them up on Fire Sage internal politics while he was at it, which Sokka appreciated. It was always good to know more about your enemy.

It took them tricking an entire temple full of sages, but they did manage to get Aang into the sanctuary in time. Like,  _ just _ in time. The doors barely finished closing before Fire Nation soldiers spilled into the hall and surrounded them.

* * *

Of all the people who’d chased them since leaving the South Pole, Katara would say that Princess Azula was the worst, but Commander Zhao was  _ the worst _ . He was the sort of slimy creep that gave alphas a bad name, with a sharp undercurrent to his scent like bad sea prunes that made her hands itch for her waterskin. He probably chewed with his mouth open and ate before his elders.

In short, Katara hated him.

“Too slow, Zhao,” Sokka said. “Aang’s already inside!”

Zhao just smiled, making a gesture with one hand. The soldiers grabbed Sokka and Katara and Shyu, and Katara wanted to fight, but they were too fast: she didn’t have time to do more than uncork her waterskin before two soldiers in anonymous skull-masks had her arms pinned behind her.

“No matter,” Zhao said. “He’ll have to come out eventually. Tie them up.”

Katara glanced at Sokka as they were dragged to one of the large stone pillars and chained there, side-by-side. Sokka smiled at her, trying to be reassuring, but she could tell he was afraid, too.

“Men, form up,” Zhao ordered. “As soon as the doors open, attack.”

“My, what a brilliant plan.”

Katara’s heart dropped all the way through the floor, and her whole body went cold.  _ Oh, no. _ This was the  _ last _ thing they needed.

“I think it might even outshine some of the strategies I employed as a toddler,” Princess Azula continued, stepping out of the shadows with a sharp-edged smile on her face.

“Princess Azula,” Zhao said, bowing. Even Katara could tell he didn’t do it nearly low enough. “What a pleasant surprise.”

“The sentiment is assuredly  _ not _ mutual,” Azula said, still smiling. She wasn’t alone, but she had no soldiers with her. Just the boy in the collar, standing behind her with a sword in his hand like a bodyguard or an overprotective boyfriend. “Trying to steal my prey? How bold you’ve become lately.”

“The Fire Lord has given orders to all citizens of the Fire Nation to capture the Avatar,” Zhao said. He turned slightly and bowed again, deeper but somehow mocking. “Prince Zuko. A blessing as always to be graced with your presence.”

“I don’t recall allowing you to speak to my omega,” Princess Azula said flatly, her smile finally falling away as she shifted to stand more fully in front of Prince Zuko.

“Do you fear his fickle heart so much, Princess?” Zhao asked. “Surely you aren’t so easily discarded as that.”

Azula growled, rumbling deep in her chest, and Katara was close enough to catch the sharp burning edge of anger to her scent.

“Tell me, Princess Azula,” Zhao said with an infuriatingly smug smirk, “Since I’ve succeeded where you have repeatedly failed, do you think the Fire Lord will give  _ me _ a betrothal instead? Say, to your brother? I’m certain I’d make a fine son-in-law. Perhaps so fine he might name me his heir.”

Azula snarled, fingers curling inward slightly like claws.

“You couldn’t even capture one small child: surely you aren’t really ready to have your own omega yet. Precocious you may be, but you’re hardly more than a child yourself; it’s just too soon. Not that I fault your taste,” he added, gaze sliding from Azula to Zuko, smirk turning into something ugly that Katara didn’t recognize but which made her gut churn nonetheless. “He looks like the sort to revel in his baser functions.”

Azula snarled again, starting forward, but Zuko grabbed her arm with his free hand.

“I’m sure you’ve trained him as well as you can,” Zhao continued like Azula wasn’t trying to incinerate him with the heat of her glare alone, “but I have the benefit of experience; I can find  _ some  _ way to satisfy him, I assure you.”

“You want to shut up now,” Zuko said, his own voice tight with anger.

“Don’t be so modest, Zuko,” Zhao said, not bothering with Zuko’s title. “There’s no shame in being known as a whore when you  _ are _ one.”

Azula screamed in wordless rage, lunging forward again, and Zuko had to drop his sword and wrap both arms around her waist, hauling her off her feet entirely, to keep her from attacking Zhao.

Part of Katara felt queasy and disgusted, knowing that Zhao was saying those things because in a way they were true. She knew Azula’s fury probably stemmed mostly from the fact that another alpha was coveting her lover, was challenging her claim, because that was just what teenaged alphas were like.

But part of Katara was a little sister with a brother she loved dearly who, if faced with the same sort of taunts, knew she’d be just as furious. Part of her thought - hoped,  _ knew _ \- that Azula’s rage was at least somewhat because  _ no one talked about her big brother like that _ .

“One more word and I will  _ let  _ her have you,” Zuko warned, not even flinching as Azula clawed at his armor, blue flames flaring around her hands but somehow not burning him.

“You’re a sentimental fool, Zuko,” Zhao told him. “But at least you’re a pretty one. Once I deliver the Avatar to your father he’ll be happy to give you to me, and you can finally know what a  _ real _ alpha’s knot feels like.”

Azula screamed again, her eyes blazing, and Zuko didn’t even attempt to keep his hold on her. As soon as her feet touched the floor, Zhao turned whiter than snow and fled, Azula hot on his heels.

Zuko kicked his sword up into his hand without even looking at it and crossed to the pillar. He brought the blade down hard on the chain holding Sokka, Katara, and Shyu in place, shattering it to pieces. Then he turned without a word and ran after his sister.

As Zuko rounded a corner out of sight, Katara thought she heard Sokka mutter  _ Tui, that is one heck of an omega _ under his breath, but she was going to ignore that for now. Sokka’s terrible taste could wait until they were safe.

Once they  _ were  _ safe, though? She was  _ so _ mocking him.

* * *

Zuko would say it had been a mistake to let Azula off the ship this soon after the end of her rut, but they hadn’t really had a choice. If someone else brought the Avatar back to the Fire Lord, they’d still have to go back home, and Father would probably declare Azula a disgrace and punish her failure by taking Zuko away from her, making that even worse than bringing the Avatar back herself.

So even though it hadn’t even been a full day since Azula’s rut had finally passed, they’d followed the Avatar’s bison to Crescent Island and the old temple there and gone ashore, slipping past Zhao’s troops hoping to be able to grab the Avatar (and his friends, if they happened to be there) and get them out without committing any obvious treason.

Of course things hadn’t worked out that well, but in a way this was better.

Zuko rounded a corner as the entire temple shook around them, catching sight of Azula’s distinctive fire ahead of him. Assuming Zhao even survived enraging Azula like this, he’d never confess to taunting her like that and no one would ever believe she’d attacked him unprovoked. Zhao had never made any secret of his interest in Zuko, and anyone he tried to report her to would laugh him out of their office or verbally flay him, depending on who it was.

Zuko finally caught up to the pair in an underground chamber bisected by a stream of molten lava. Azula looked perfect as always, aside from a single singed spot on one sleeve, while Zhao was covered with soot and what looked like fairly minor burns. Azula was toying with him.

Zuko came to a stop a safe distance behind Azula, just watching for a moment. The temple shook again, more forcefully. Something overhead groaned.

“Azula,” he called, getting both their attention. “We need to go.”

Azula growled at him, almost playfully, and oh: she wasn’t enraged at all. She was  _ acting _ . Oh, she was clever.

“Alpha, please,” he said, because he’d had to play the soothing omega to Azula's half-feral alpha before. He knew his lines by heart. “We can’t stay here.”

Zhao twitched, and Azula rounded on him with a snarl. He  _ could _ let her kill him and no one but them would ever know. But if Zuko let Azula kill everyone who talked to or about him like Zhao did, there really wouldn’t be much of the court left.

“Alpha, we need to go,” he repeated. “Please, Alpha.”

Azula growled again, throwing one last blazing blue fireball at Zhao, then turned and let him herd her out of the chamber.

“Someday you’re going to tell me not to murder him, and I’m going to, anyway,” Azula informed him as soon as they were out of sight and earshot of Zhao.

“Probably,” Zuko agreed. “But we do need to go. I have no idea what the Avatar’s doing up there, but it sounds like the whole temple might come down at any minute.”

She nodded, setting off down the corridor with Zuko a step behind her. They reached the  _ Arashi _ in short order, and were well out to sea by the time the small white speck of the Avatar’s bison flew off toward the horizon and the temple fell in on itself.

A part of him he wasn’t very proud of (the part that sounded uncomfortably like Father) hoped Zhao had still been inside when it collapsed.


	5. Some Pirates Have A Bad Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for non-graphic minor character death in this chapter.

Somehow, Sokka’s life had gotten to the point where being randomly chased by pirates seemed like a normal thing. Just running for his life from bloodthirsty brigands, destroying cabbage carts and dodging people with less adventurous lives. Totally a thing that just happened to him now. Never a dull moment with the Bison-Back Pack.

Sokka skidded around a stall and down a side street, panting, paying more attention to the pirates behind him than the road in front of him until he ran headlong into someone. They both stumbled, but the other person reached out and grabbed him in time to keep either of them from falling.

“Water Tribe?” a familiar voice asked, and Sokka refocused to find himself staring at Prince Zuko.

“Zuko?” he replied, very intelligently.

Zuko was dressed down today, hair pulled back in a half-knot instead of the usual high tail, simple robes and a coordinated bag with a thin scarf wrapped around his neck that mostly covered his collar. He looked good.

Sokka did not get lost in those amazing golden eyes for a second. Definitely not. Just because Zuko was awesome with swords and way stronger than he looked and unfairly pretty did not mean he could distract Sokka while Sokka was running for his life, and it did not take a glimpse of the pirates gaining over Zuko’s shoulder to snap him out of it.

“Nice to see you again gotta run bye!” he yelped, turning and taking off again.

Somehow, they managed to lose the pirates and meet back up in the woods with Appa and Momo. Sokka collapsed against a tree, panting, and used the stitch in his side to convince him going back was a very bad idea.

“Sokka?” Katara asked, relieving him of his bag. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” Sokka assured her. “Dying, but fine. Those guys are worse than an angry honey reindeer swarm, I swear. Also I ran into Prince Zuko in town.”

“How was he?” Aang asked, bless his little heart.

“Was Princess Azula with him?” Katara asked, much more practically.

Sokka shook his head. “I think he was alone. I hope he’s okay.”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Katara said. “After all, he _is_ one heck of an omega.”

Sokka groaned. “Are you _ever_ going to let that go?”

“Nope,” she replied cheerfully.

“Why were they even chasing us?” Aang wondered.

Katara pulled a familiar-looking scroll out of Sokka’s bag, and _this_ ? Sokka was never, _ever_ letting _this_ go.

* * *

“What in Agni’s name was _that_ all about?” Zuko wondered to himself, starting to gather his dropped purchases while he debated following the Avatar and his friends to get some answers.

Someone moved behind him and a hand lifted at the far right edge of his vision. Zuko dropped his things and spun down into a crouch, sweeping the person’s legs out from under them with one foot while mentally kicking himself for insisting he didn’t need his swords for a simple shopping trip.

The person fell heavily, cursing, but they weren’t alone.

Zuko could have taken them, if he were armed. There were only four, all adult men bigger than him but all also idiots. If he was half the firebender Azula was, he probably could have managed, anyway. But Father had put an end to his offensive bending lessons as soon he presented, and Azula hadn’t been able to teach him much in the weeks they’d been away from home so far; he wasn’t confident in his bending, and only a fool called fire they didn’t think they’d be able to control.

He still fought, of course. He still had Uncle’s knife in his boot and its message etched into his soul, and omega or not, giving up just wasn’t in his nature.

He lost, of course, but he got a few good hits in. He knew for a fact at least one of his attackers had a broken arm, and another was nursing a black eye and a broken nose.

They dragged him to a pier on the opposite end of the port from the one he’d had Jee dock the steamer at and onto a wooden ship. It took Zuko about five seconds to conclude he was dealing with pirates.

The man with the iguana parrot crossed his arms and stared down at Zuko, held between two of the men not sporting broken limbs, and raised an eyebrow.

“This is not one of the children I sent you after,” he noted in a dangerously level tone that made Zuko instinctively go still. This must be the captain.

“Sorry, Captain,” the pirate with the broken arm said. “They got away from us. But this one knows them.”

“Yeah,” the pirate with the mustache who’d escaped with only bruises and one shallow gash on his upper arm agreed. “Besides, he’s a catch all on his own.”

The captain hummed, uncrossing his arms. He reached out with one hand, grabbing Zuko’s chin in a surprisingly gentle grip and tilting his head back. “Was he alone?”

“Completely,” Mustache reported. “Nobody so much as batted a lash when we grabbed him.”

The captain let go of Zuko’s chin, fingers snagging on his scarf, tugging it free in one sharp motion.

“That’s quite a collar you have there, omega,” he noted. “Is _it_ worth more to your owner, or are you?”

“Is either worth your life?” Zuko replied. The captain just smiled. “Let me go now, and my alpha _might_ agree not to incinerate your entire crew.”

The captain smiled wider. “Feisty,” he commented. “Where did your friends run off to?”

“They aren’t my friends.”

“Of course not. You don’t even know them, right?”

“I actually don’t,” Zuko said, despite knowing they weren’t going to believe him. Once he got out of here and caught up with the Avatar, he was going to smack all three of them upside the head. “What do you even want with them, anyway?”

“They stole from me,” the captain said. “A waterbending scroll. Very valuable merchandise. I’d like it back.”

“I’m sure you would. I can’t help you.”

Mustache turned and punched him, hard enough that the other pirates holding him was the only reason he didn’t go crashing to the ground.

“Stop making this hard on yourself, omega,” the captain said. “Where did your friends go?”

“They _aren’t_ my friends!” Zuko repeated, louder in case that made them hear better. “And I don’t know where they are!”

“Make a guess,” the captain ordered.

“I don’t know, have you tried looking for your stolen waterbending scroll near _water_?” he asked sarcastically, earning himself another punch to the face.

There would have been more punching, but the captain held up one hand. “What an insightful suggestion,” he said, smiling down at Zuko. “Make our guest comfortable, boys: we’re going for a boat ride.”

* * *

Katara was both ashamed and not ashamed at all when she snuck the scroll down to the river to practice a bit. She just needed to get this one move right, then she’d really be done with the scroll for good. Really.

She didn’t know how long she’d been trying (and failing) to do a proper water whip when the bushes rustled behind her, and she wound up almost water-whipping Sokka in the face.

“So much for wanting nothing to do with the scroll,” Sokka commented, stepping into the open with Aang right behind him. “ _Honestly_.”

“It’s okay,” Aang said brightly. “I don’t mind.”

“You can’t be so forgiving, Aang,” Sokka protested, sighing. “She’ll think she can get away with anything!”

“Katara wouldn’t do that,” Aang said confidently.

“Thanks, Aang,” Katara said, smiling at him, and he beamed back.

Sokka opened his mouth to protest further, but was cut off by a boat running aground almost on top of them. Katara recognized it as the pirate ship from earlier. She also recognized several of the pirates that jumped from the boat to the ground, as well as the one non-pirate dragged out into the open by his arm: Prince Zuko.

Sokka shot her a look reminding her of how she’d insisted Prince Zuko would be fine. Obviously, she’d been wrong.

Zuko was dressed in just a light tunic and trousers and boots, despite the fact it had gotten quite chilly since the sun went down. His wrists were bound behind him and his ankles manacled together, and his hair hung loose in his face, casting it in shadow. What she could see of his skin was littered with cuts and bruises, like he’d been in a fight.

Or like he'd gotten roughed up by pirates.

“Now: either you can surrender like good children,” the pirate captain said, gesturing to one of the pirates who unsheathed a sword, “or your friend here pays the price.”

“He’s not our friend,” Katara said automatically.

“I mean don’t get me wrong, he’s really cool, but we barely know him,” Sokka added.

“Thanks, Water Tribe,” Zuko commented. The pirate still holding his arm shook him roughly, making him hiss softly in pain.

“See? He doesn’t even know my name,” Sokka said. “So we feel bad, but also we don’t wanna die. How about we just give you back your scroll and call it even?”

“Sokka!” Katara protested.

“Just give them back their stupid scroll before Azula finds us,” Zuko snapped.

Katara wanted to argue, because the scroll wasn’t the pirates’, it belonged to her people, but the mention of Azula was enough to stop her. Azula had lost it just over Zhao saying nasty things about Zuko: there was no telling how far she’d go over someone who’d actually _hurt_ him.

Katara bit her lip, hesitating, then gathered up the scroll in both hands.

“Well?” the pirate captain asked. “I’m waiting, little girl.”

“Too late,” Zuko said with what sounded like regret, and Death stalked out from between the tree trunks wreathed in blue-white rage.

Azula was completely different from the way she’d been at Roku’s temple. She was _cold_ in her fury, deadly calm like an empty ice field where even the wind was frozen still. Her eyes didn’t blaze so much as burn a low, steely gold. She moved in silence, not a single scream or snarl or grunt as she lashed out with arctic-blue fire at the nearest pirate.

The pirate holding Zuko let go and Zuko ducked, rolling out of the way. Katara almost took a step toward him, but a whip of blue fire struck the ground between them and she scrambled back instead.

One of the pirates screamed, then cut off with a sickening finality. Katara refused to look, pulling Aang against her and turning his head as if to shield him. She felt Sokka grab her arms and tug, pulling her away, and she went without a sound. They inched their way to safety, and once there, turned as a trio and ran.

* * *

Rage didn’t take Azula often. She didn’t let it. Control was too important.

Rage rarely took her. When it did, it took her completely.

All she could see or feel or hear was fire, blue-white fire and screams and silence where screams had been, under burning flesh and scorched earth and ashes. She was a dragon of blue fury and they were her rightful prey and they would all die until only silence and cinders remained.

The rage held her so completely that she could barely tell one body from another. She’d look back on the pitilessly crystal-clear memories and see how close her fire came to Zuko, how many times she almost burned her omega, but in that moment all she saw was her targets scrambling to escape her.

She came back to herself with an almost audible snap to find herself on her knees staring at Zuko, his face tense in the flickering light of her fire, his hands wrapped around her elbows and her hands clasping his forearms, with soot on his bruised cheek and no one left to threaten him.

“Azula, come back to me,” he said, as though repeating himself in desperation. “Please, Azula, I need you. I need my alpha.”

The rage lingered, wanting more violence, more flame, more vengeance, but she fought it down. Zuko needed her. Zuko needed his alpha, not a dragon. Zuko needed her.

“Azula, you’re hurting me.”

Azula looked down at her hands, fingers digging into flesh, Zuko’s flesh, not burned, thank Agni she hadn’t burned her omega but there was blood on her fingertips where nails broke skin, hurt him, _hurt her Zuko_ , and she let go.

Zuko kept his hands on her elbows, holding her still and grounded. Her anchor, her rock, her pack with melted chains still dangling from the crude manacles on his wrists.

She lifted a hand and it shook, she was shaking, bloody fingertips shivering in the air over the ugly mottled bruise on his cheek, overlapping the edges of their father’s brand.

She’d failed him again.

“I’m okay,” Zuko told her so steadily while maggot-wasps in the dirt whimpered around them and fire flickered down to nothing, hand slipping up to grip hers. “I’m okay, Azula. It’s okay now.”

Azula was Zuko’s alpha and she hadn’t protected him _again_ , he’d been taken and hurt and she’d come for him and _hurt him_ and the terrible knowledge of her failure threatened to shake her apart.

Zuko pulled her into his lap and pushed her face down into his neck, holding her so tight it hurt, so tight she didn’t have room to shake apart anymore. On a riverbank of mud and ash and death, he held her together until she could do it herself.

Once Azula’s hands stopped shaking and she regained control of her breath, she pulled back. Carefully, terrified of hurting him again, she used her most tightly-controlled flame to cut the manacles off him, leaving them in the dirt.

He stood and pulled her to her feet, wrapping his arm around her. Together, they headed back beneath the trees. The weevil-worms in the dirt held their tongues, assuming any of them lived. Beneath the numb horror of _I hurt him I hurt him I hurt him_ consuming her mind, Azula couldn’t help but notice that Zuko didn’t bother to check.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please y'all, do not get used to this update schedule. I'm going to try and upload something every day for the month of November, but I can't promise I'll be able to stick to it and I _can_ promise I'll be posting more than just this one story even if I do manage all 30 days.


	6. Everyone Takes A Breather

They flew through most of the night. Appa was tired still and so were they, but it wasn’t until dawn began to lighten the horizon that they felt even remotely like landing again.

Katara didn’t let go of the scroll the entire time. The edges of it were wrinkled, and all three of them studiously ignored the tears staining it in spots. Aang sat beside her, a hand on her arm, offering what comfort he could. He’d never felt his status as unpresented so keenly as he did during that terrible silent flight, unable to be comforting like an omega or sheltering like an alpha or even steadying like a beta: he was just Aang, just a kid, and it felt like not enough.

Appa drifted down to land in a small clearing. Sokka slid off his head and did most of the setting up on his own, then climbed up into the saddle. Between them, he and Aang managed to coax Katara down and over to the small fire.

Aang sat next to her again. This time Sokka sat on her other side, draping an arm over her shoulders so that his hand rested on Aang’s back.

“Azula,” Aang announced after several long minutes of silence, “is scary.”

Sokka and Katara both nodded.

“I mean she was scary before,” Sokka said, “but that was… yeah.”

“That was horrible,” Katara said softly, her eyes welling up with tears again. “Those poor pirates...”

“Shh,” Sokka said. “Just don’t think about it.”

“But I-”

“If you’re about to blame this on my baby sister,” Sokka interrupted, “You can just go ahead and not.”

“But-”

“Okay, you stole a scroll, but you said it yourself: they stole it first. And if they hadn’t gone after Zuko, they’d still be fine.”

“But...”

“No,” Sokka said, with a subtle shift to his scent and his posture that made him seem more solid, more commanding. More like a pack alpha. “No buts. Okay?”

Katara nodded. She sniffed, carefully rolling up the scroll. She let Aang take it from her and set it aside, and leaned more heavily against Sokka.

Silence descended on them again as the sun began to rise behind the trees. Eventually, they fell asleep like that, all in a heap by a dying fire that glowed orange, unlike the blue ones that flickered at the edges of Aang’s dreams.

* * *

It was a full day before Azula let Zuko out of her sight. She was more shaken by what had happened than she wanted to admit, and it had taken every trick for handling her Zuko had ever learned to convince her not to have Jee executed. The poor man had only been doing as he’d been told, and it wasn’t his fault that had backfired so spectacularly.

He spent most of that day just holding Azula while she fussed over his injuries, clumsily doctoring him to the best of her abilities because unfortunately the ship’s doctor was an alpha and couldn’t get near Zuko without Azula snarling at him.

Most of the crew gave them a wide berth. None of the alphas wanted to be mistaken for a threat, and even after Azula let him out of their den, only the betas (and Helmsman Kyo, but he was the first to claim he barely counted as an alpha, anyway) dared to try interacting with them.

In a way, it was worse than when they’d first become a pack. Back then, Zuko had been confined to bed recovering from his burn, and their bond had been so new that being apart was additional pain he just didn’t need. Now, Zuko didn’t need a distraction or the pampering; he just wanted a little space.

He let Azula carry on how she wanted, though, and kept his thoughts to himself. He’d scared her badly, and if it took her a few days to get over it, he kind of owed them to her.

* * *

It was three days after the Pirate Incident when the messenger hawk landed on the _Arashi_ , not from the direction of the Fire Nation but from inland, a request for aid from a colony village. Zuko loved his sister dearly, but her smothering was quickly driving him crazy, and even an omega prince was still a prince; he had a duty to see to their people.

The issue was convincing Azula of this.

Azula did not want him to go. Azula was adamant about that. Azula thought it beneath him and far too dangerous, and if Zuko wasn’t ready to commit a minor felony just to have an hour to himself, he might have let her have her way.

“I’ll be perfectly fine, Azula,” he insisted. “It’s firmly Fire Nation territory, with a permanent garrison stationed there, and I promise I’ll keep my swords with me at all times.”

“It’s not safe,” Azula insisted right back. “I won’t allow it, end of discussion.”

She had the power to forbid him, both by the rules of the pack and by the laws governing his fake position by her side, and he had to stomp down on the spark of betrayal her words woke in him. She didn’t mean it. She was speaking out of fear and only trying to keep him safe.

But.

“Are you going to confine me to quarters?” he asked softly. “Lock me away like an exotic pet?”

“Zuzu,” she protested, half in a growl and half in a whine.

“Are you going to cage me like Father did?” he pressed.

It was a low blow and he knew it, but she’d sworn she never would, and he couldn’t bear if she broke that promise to him. She broke so many promises because Father forced her to, but that wasn’t the case here: if she broke this promise, it would be because what she wanted mattered more to her than him, and he couldn’t take that. Not from Azula.

Azula stared up at him for a long moment, face a perfect mask. The mask cracked, softened a moment before settling into nonchalance. “Of course not, Zuzu,” she said. “If it’s that important to you, go ahead. But if you get stolen by pirates again, there _will_ be consequences.”

“Of course, alpha,” he agreed immediately. Gaipan was landlocked and on a dammed river, so he doubted there were any pirates there to steal him. “I’ll be careful.”

“You’d better be,” Azula grumbled, nuzzling him. “Four days, and I’m coming after you.”

Zuko smiled, nuzzling her back. “Understood.”

* * *

Sokka did not trust Jet. He didn’t trust Jet, he didn’t like Jet, he didn’t believe a word that came out of Jet’s mouth. And no, despite what Katara’s infatuation was telling her, it was _not_ because he was jealous or because he felt threatened, he just knew bad news when he saw it!

Still, the smarmy jerk managed to sucker Aang and Katara with his smooth talking, so they wound up staying.

Sokka wouldn’t deny being flattered to be included in Jet’s special mission the next morning. He still didn’t trust Jet, but it was nice to have his talents recognized, unlike his ungrateful joke-making pack.

The mission seemed fairly straightforward, just watching an isolated stretch of road through the woods. It seemed less straightforward when a lone traveler in a dark red cloak wandered into view and Jet whistled a signal, dropping from his tree branch perch to the ground with his weird swords in hand.

“What are you doing in our woods, you leech?” Jet demanded as Sokka dropped to the ground as well.

“Walking,” the traveler answered.

Jet growled, and the traveler’s stance shifted slightly. “Think you’re funny, ashmaker?”

“My alpha does.”

Jet lunged at him, snarling, only to find his hooked swords blocked by two curved ones. The sudden movement tossed back the traveler’s hood, exposing his long hair and familiar scarred face, a face Sokka had last seen on a night-shrouded riverbank lit with blue fire, a face he’d been trying desperately not to worry about for the past three days. He blamed a combination of relief and stupidity for the fact that he immediately opened his big mouth and blurted out, “Prince Zuko!”

Zuko gave him a withering glare he definitely deserved. “Say it a little louder, Water Tribe,” he snapped. “I don’t think they heard you in Omashu.”

Jet took advantage of Zuko’s distraction and whipped one foot out, sweeping Zuko’s legs out from under him. Zuko cursed and hit the ground, rolling smoothly back to his feet.

“This must be the bandit problem Gaipan wanted help with,” Zuko commented, dodging a thrown knife and Jet’s next attack without even seeming to notice either. “I question your taste in friends, Water Tribe.”

“I have a name, you know,” Sokka commented to distract himself from the no-win situation in front of him. Zuko seemed to be holding his own, but Jet seemed a bit unhinged. If Zuko got away, Jet was probably going to lose it, but if Jet managed to capture Zuko, _Azula_ was going to lose it. Again. Azula was objectively worse, but Jet was right here and thus a more immediate concern.

“I’m not using it until you _stop_ using mine.”

A knife managed to pin Zuko’s cloak to the path, and the seconds it took him to undo the clasp and leave it behind were enough for Jet to close and disarm him, which gave Pipsqueak a chance to step in and grab him. Pipsqueak was obviously much stronger, but he still had a hard time keeping his hold on Zuko until the last member of their little ambush party (Something-bee, the one with all the knives) got a blade up against Zuko’s neck, forcing him to hold still.

“So you’re Prince Zuko,” Jet said, sheathing his swords. “I was expecting somebody prettier.” Which: rude. Also: Zuko was objectively _plenty_ pretty, thank you.

“Bold talk for someone with eyebrows like that,” Zuko shot back, seemingly unbothered.

Jet smirked at him, and Sokka could almost _hear_ the gears turning in his head. “Bee, tie him up. We’re taking him back to base.”

“I really don’t recommend that,” Sokka said as Bee scrambled to obey, producing a coil of rough rope from spirits knew where. “Trust me, okay, I’ve _seen_ what Zuko’s alpha can do to people who hurt him. We’re all much more likely to live if you just let him go now.”

There was something very very wrong with the way Jet smiled at him. “Don’t worry, Sokka,” he said. “We’ll treat him right. A prince is a valuable prisoner, after all.”

“Tell that to the pirates who tried it last,” Zuko said, and Sokka winced. “Oh, that’s right: you can’t. They’re all dead.”

“I’ll take that under advisement, your Highness,” Jet said, still smiling that smile that looked _wrong_ while Bee finished tying Zuko up. “Let’s get out of here.”

Pipsqueak hauled Zuko off his feet and over his shoulder like a sack of rice. Bee stopped to grab Zuko’s stuff. Jet led them both back into the trees, leaving Sokka to trail along behind them and hope that this once, things were going to not turn out as bad as he thought they were going to.

He knew the spirits would never be that nice to him, but a guy had to try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter today. I felt like we needed a small breather between 'Sokka gets Zuko captured by pirates' and 'Sokka gets Zuko captured by Jet'. At least next time the capturing will technically be Aang's fault, or Sokka might start getting a reputation around here.


	7. Jet Makes A Mistake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for discussion of domestic abuse because Katara makes an Olympic sport of jumping to conclusions in this chapter.

Sokka was worked up by the time they got the fire prince back to the hideout and immediately went off to find his sister and the Avatar. Jet almost followed him, but securing the prisoner was more important at the moment, and it was obvious Sokka’s pack didn’t take him seriously, as an alpha or as a man. Any feathers he ruffled, Jet could soothe easily.

They didn’t really have a prison, and what they did have wasn’t meant to hold an ashmaker, but it would have to do. Rumor couldn’t make up its mind one way or the other whether the prince could actually bend fire or not, anyway; there was a good chance they could have just tossed him in a storeroom, ropes and all, and been fine.

But Jet hadn’t kept himself and his Freedom Fighters alive this long by trusting to chance.

“What are we gonna do with him?” Smellerbee asked quietly as they reached the holding room.

“Keep him quiet and out of the way,” Jet replied, motioning for Pipsqueak to drop his passenger. “Once the plan’s done, we can get rid of him. If he’s lucky, we might actually ransom him off.”

“Father has been trying to get rid of me for years,” Prince Zuko informed him, shifting to a kneeling position from the heap Pipsqueak had dropped him in. “You won’t get anything out of him for me.”

Jet hummed agreeably. “Maybe so,” he said, drawing one of his swords and slipping the hooked tip under the edge of Zuko’s collar, yanking him forward slightly. “But _somebody_ sure seems to think you’re worth wasting resources on.”

Zuko kept his mouth shut and glared harder. A thin line of blood, darker than the tacky bright red gems on his collar, slipped down his neck, and Jet smiled.

“Did your psycho sister give you this?” he asked. “I admit our information’s a bit sketchy, but even we’ve heard about her. Is she as crazy as they say?”

“Crazier,” Zuko replied. “And way more intimidating than you, even when she’s not trying.”

Jet jerked on his sword again, just because he could; the thread of blood got a little wider, and so did Jet’s smile.

He slid his sword free. There was blood smeared along the edge, where it had broken skin somewhere under all that gold. Probably stung like Koh’s fury, but Zuko didn’t so much as twitch. Jet supposed he could admire that sort of control; he wouldn’t have expected it of an ashmaker, especially not an omega.

“Make sure our guest is comfortable,” he ordered Pipsqueak and Smellerbee, sheathing his sword and taking a step back. “Wouldn’t want _his Highness_ to think we were bad hosts. I’m gonna go see if I need to do damage control.”

* * *

Sokka had just finished a jumbled, obviously exaggerated tale of him and Jet stumbling on Prince Zuko and Jet taking Zuko prisoner when Jet himself sauntered up to them with a polite smile and a rough bag in his hand.

“Hey, there,” Jet said. “I assume Sokka was filling you in on our prisoner.”

“Yes, he was,” Katara said. “How is he?”

“Actually, I was hoping you could tell me,” Jet said. “Do you think you can take a look at him? I’d have our medic do it, but Sneers is an alpha, and the prince apparently knows you guys.”

“Of course,” Katara agreed immediately. Of course Zuko would rather be examined by a beta that he knew at least a little than a strange alpha, and it was sweet of Jet to realize that. She really didn’t know where Sokka got the idea Jet was bad news.

Jet smiled, offering her the bag he was holding, which turned out to be full of medical supplies. Katara accepted the bag and set off with Jet a step behind her.

“Honestly,” he said after a minute, “Don’t tell the others I said this, but I’m kind of worried. He was hurt before we found him, and I’ve heard some things about how the Fire Nation treats omegas.”

“It’s probably from when he got kidnapped by pirates… spirits, was it really only a few days ago? They weren’t very nice to him.” She smiled over her shoulder. “They definitely didn’t offer to patch him up.”

Jet smiled wider. “You’re gonna make me blush if you keep looking at me like that,” he warned. “A Fire Nation omega’s still an omega. I’ve got a duty to him.”

Katara blushed herself, facing forward as Jet directed her to one of the more isolated tree huts. Smellerbee and Pipsqueak were standing guard outside. Both were betas; while Jet still probably shouldn’t have taken Zuko prisoner, he was at least obviously serious about taking proper care of him.

Jet stepped inside first, holding the curtain open for Katara. “You have a visitor, your Highness,” he announced.

Zuko was on his knees in the middle of the floor, wrists bound in front of him with heavy chains and tethered to a ring in the floor but otherwise unrestrained. His hair was in the ponytail again, but some of it had come loose and fallen into his face. The bruising looked worse than it had a few days ago, and his tunic slipped enough to show bruising on his shoulder and chest as well. His arms were bandaged, and there was a thin trickle of blood leaking out from under that collar of his.

“Hello, Katara,” he said calmly, ignoring Jet.

“Hi, Zuko,” she said, setting the bag down and kneeling in front of him. “Jet asked me to take a look at your wounds.”

Zuko’s gaze flicked up to Jet and back. “Did he.”

“I’m not the best, but Gran-Gran taught me a lot,” she assured him with a smile. “I’ll do what I can.” She turned slightly to address Jet. “Can you take the chains off? I need to take a look at his arms and chest, too.”

Jet frowned. “Can we trust him not to attack you?”

“He’s sitting right here,” Zuko said. “And not an idiot. Besides, why would I want to attack Katara? _She’s_ not an asshole.”

“Behave,” Katara warned him absently. “Please, Jet?”

“Okay,” Jet said at length. “But only because I know you can handle yourself.” He offered her the key to the chains, then stepped outside without being asked. He was such a gentleman.

“Sokka’s been so worried,” she confessed once it was just her and Zuko, carefully untying his sash and helping him out of his tunic. “We all have. We never should’ve left you behind.”

Zuko shook his head. “You made the right choice. If you’d stuck around, Azula would have gone after you, too.”

“She’s scary,” Katara said softly, trying very hard not to think of that night.

“She isn’t always,” Zuko disagreed. “She can be nice, in her own way.”

His words were somewhat undermined when Katara began unraveling the sloppily-wrapped bandages around Zuko’s forearm, revealing five crescent-shaped gouges in the skin, deep enough to have bled and scabbed over, placed just exactly as if someone with a hand about the same size as Katara’s had grabbed him and dug her nails in hard.

“She didn’t mean to do that,” he said. “She wasn’t herself that night.”

She’d heard that before, helping Gran-Gran doctor bruises on arms and necks and faces. _They didn’t mean to,_ they’d insisted, voices quiet in the healing hut. _He just doesn’t know his own strength. They got carried away. She lost control. He just gets jealous. She loves me, really._ Even a community as small as the South Pole had its rotted sea prunes, and helping Gran-Gran meant Katara had heard all the excuses before.

She bit her lip to keep from saying anything and concentrated on rebandaging his arm properly. She didn’t even say anything when he proved to have identical marks on his other arm; she just took care of those, too. There were no fresh burns on him, at least: just old burn scars under fresh bruises. She did what she could with the supplies she had in silence, then helped him redress.

When she finished, Zuko let her chain him to the treehouse floor again without a fight. And if the chains were a little looser than Jet had had them… well, no one was really going to notice that.

“What does he want you to do?”

Katara looked up from repacking the bag of supplies. “What?”

“Jet. He asked you for a favor, didn’t he? Something important that only you can do. Something he said would save or protect people. What is it?”

She frowned. “What are you implying?”

“That he’s lying to you,” Zuko said bluntly. “He’s using you, Katara.”

“He’s just trying to protect his pack, Zuko. Not that I’d expect you to understand that.”

Everyone knew the Fire Nation didn’t have packs. They hadn’t since the start of the war.

“I understand better than you think,” he snapped, glaring at her as she got to her feet, bag slung over her shoulder. “I understand Jet’s forgotten what pack means, assuming he ever knew. Sokka understands that, too. If you can’t trust me, trust your own pack, but please: _don’t trust Jet_.”

Katara bit her lip, wavering for a moment, then squared her shoulders and turned her back on Zuko. If anyone was trying to trick her here, it was the Fire Nation prince. Jet was the perfect alpha, and he was only doing what he thought was best. She trusted Jet.

As it turned out, she should have trusted Zuko instead.

* * *

An explosion shook the forest, filling the air with dirt, leaves, and panicked birds, followed by the roar of the river, loosed from its dam, thundering down the valley floor and sweeping past them on their safe little hilltop.

Zuko watched the water carry debris that had been homes and possessions just minutes ago downstream, scowling, and battled down the urge to find Jet and murder him.

“Commander,” he said, turning back to the assembled residents of Gaipan.

“Yes, Highness?” the garrison commander responded, saluting sharply.

“Take these people west to Tokai Village. Once I return to my ship, I’ll have aid and resources sent there to help relocate and rebuild. And Commander?”

“Yes, Highness?”

“Those resources are to be distributed equally between _all_ residents of Gaipan. Am I understood?”

“Perfectly, Highness. On my honor.”

Many of the villagers were obviously Earth Kingdom in blood, but so long as they lived under the Fire Nation’s power, they _would_ have the full benefit of it. Zuko would make sure of that in every way he could.

“Hey, your Princeliness,” Sokka spoke up, making several people sputter and one person outright gasp in shock, “We should go find Aang and Katara.”

Zuko nodded. “Travel safe, Commander. Let’s go, Water Tribe.”

“My name is Sokka!” Sokka reminded him, scrambling up onto the bison’s head while Zuko climbed into the saddle. “Use it!”

“Not until you can go a week without getting me kidnapped.”

“Are all Fire Princes jerks, or is that just you?” Sokka asked, directing the bison skyward.

Zuko smiled and didn’t bother answering.

They found Aang and Katara on a cliff overlooking the river. Jet was with them, frozen to a tree courtesy of Katara’s waterbending; apparently she’d been getting good use out of that stolen scroll.

“This was a _victory_ , Katara!” Jet was insisting.

“If you can call property damage a victory,” Sokka replied, taking advantage of such a perfect entrance, and Zuko privately admitted he might be a bit in love with the dramatic little idiot.

“Sokka!” Katara exclaimed happily. “Zuko,” she added as Zuko jumped from the saddle, less happy and more guilty. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“I almost wasn’t,” Zuko said. “Luckily, between the slack you left in the chains and Sokka, I was able to escape, and we managed to warn Gaipan in time.”

“Yeah, turns out having an actual prince along makes people sit up and listen,” Sokka added. “We got everyone out. You destroyed their homes and ruined most of what they owned, but you didn’t manage to take a single life.”

“You fool!” Jet yelled, struggling against the ice. “We could’ve freed this valley!”

“Who would be free?” Sokka shot back. “Everyone would be dead.”

And yeah, Zuko was definitely a little bit in love right now.

Jet growled, shifting his focus to Zuko. His eyes burned with hatred and zeal. “This is all your fault,” he accused. “You tainted them.”

“The only person _tainted_ here is you,” Zuko said, motioning for Aang and Katara to get on the bison. “And you know it. That’s why you had to _lie_ to them to get their help.”

He turned around at the sound of his name and saw Katara leaning over the saddle lip, offering him a hand up. He took it even though he didn’t need it, recognizing it for the apology it was.

“I can probably convince Azula not to retaliate,” he informed Jet once he was on the bison’s back. “But I have no such control over the army. Once you get yourself out of that ice, get yourself out of this forest. Don’t let your hatred get the rest of your pack killed.”

Sokka flicked the reins and the bison veered away from the cliff, leaving Jet alone. Hopefully, he’d take Zuko’s advice; if Jet left, he’d take the other kids with him. Some were far too young for what the army would do to make an example of them.

“You can drop me back with villagers,” he said, sighing. He had about a day left before Azula came looking for him, he could probably make it back in time.

“Let us take you back to your ship,” Aang offered. “The Flying Bison Express is faster than walking.”

“If you do that, Azula will have to at least make a token effort at catching you.”

“How about just partway,” Sokka spoke up. “As an apology for getting you kidnapped again.”

“Fine. I suppose it’s the least you can do.” He paused, then added, “I’m still not using your name.”

“Curses,” Sokka exclaimed melodramatically. “Foiled again!”

Zuko snorted and settled back against the edge of the saddle.

* * *

Sokka managed to switch spots with Aang about five minutes into the flight because Aang was a total pal who didn’t even feel the need to mock him over his very understandable crush on one of the prettiest, most badass omegas he’d ever met, unlike _some people_.

Katara was quiet, but she did roll her eyes when Sokka crawled across the saddle to sit between her and Zuko, who seemed mostly occupied with petting Appa over the edge of the saddle.

“Doing okay over there?” Sokka asked.

“Fine,” Zuko replied. “Thank you, by the way. For coming to my rescue, however unnecessary it was.”

Sokka grinned. “Yeah, yeah, you’re amazing. We get it. Probably all that experience you have with being kidnapped. You might wanna give that a rest.”

“This and the pirates were both _your_ fault,” Zuko reminded him with a slight smile. “Stop showing up whenever I go out, and I’ll be fine.”

“I’m pretty sure in both cases, we were there first,” Sokka shot back. “Stop showing up whenever _we_ go out, and you’ll be fine.”

Zuko actually stuck his tongue out at him. Sokka snorted.

“I’m surprised Princess Azula keeps letting you go off alone,” Katara commented, with an odd almost judgy tone to her voice.

“Sometimes I need space,” Zuko said, shrugging. “I used to go days not seeing anyone but a single servant and _maybe_ a guard, and now I don’t even have a _bed_ to myself anymore. It gets overwhelming.”

Sokka did not grimace, though it was a near thing. For a minute there, he’d actually managed to _forget_ the whole ‘sleeping with his sister’ thing.

“Why didn’t you ever see anyone?” Katara asked, frowning, tone getting judgier. Sokka tried to silently communicate that she was _not_ to antagonize the firebender in the saddle with them, even if they _did_ have fundamental moral objections to some of his life choices (which may or may not have actually been his choice). “Is Princess Azula that jealous?”

To Sokka’s surprise, Zuko laughed. He had a nice laugh, quiet and deep. “No, that was all Father,” he said. “After I presented, he pretty much locked me in my rooms and left me there.”

“That sounds awful,” Aang piped up sympathetically. “Why would he do that?”

“Because he’s an awful person,” Zuko said with a shrug. “It doesn’t matter now; outside the palace, Azula gets to decide what I can and can’t do.”

Katara’s frown deepened until it became a scowl. Zuko gave her an equally judgy scowl right back, glancing down at the ground.

“You can put me down now; I’ll be fine from here.”

“Are you sure? We really can take you all the way back to your ship, if you want,” Aang offered.

“Or,” Katara added, “you could come with us.”

Zuko leveled a flat glare at her.

“You don’t have to go back to her,” Katara insisted. “We can protect you.”

“You. Two half-trained benders and an idiot with a boomerang. Protect me. From Azula.”

“I know she’s scary, but-” Katara started.

“No, you don’t,” Zuko interrupted. “You don’t know anything about Azula, or about me. You haven’t even seen _half_ of what she’s capable of, and just to make this clear: _I will never abandon Azula_ . She’s my- my alpha, and my sister, and if you don’t land this frosted bison _right now_ , I’m jumping off!”

“It isn’t your job to fix her!”

“ _She isn’t broken!_ ”

“Whoa, whoa: both of you calm down!” Sokka yelled. Katara still had her righteous crusade face on and Zuko still looked mad enough to breathe fire, but they both stopped yelling at each other, at least. “Thank you. Aang, land us, please.”

Aang nodded, directing Appa groundward. Zuko didn’t wait until they’d landed properly to dismount.

“Zuko,” Sokka called, jumping after him. “Look, you don’t have to go it alone from here. We can take you a little further.”

“Are you going to force me to let you?” Zuko demanded.

“No, dude, definitely not. You’ve been kidnapped enough for one week, we’re not gonna add to that. Just… I worry about you, buddy.”

“Why?”

“Because you can’t get a dude kidnapped and beaten up twice in the span of a week without becoming either friends or mortal enemies,” Sokka said. “And I’m not keen on the enemies thing. Your sister’s kind of intimidating.”

Zuko snorted, and Sokka smiled.

“Look, Katara means well, but you’re right: she doesn’t know Azula. If you want to ride with us a little longer, she’ll keep a lid on it.”

Zuko seemed to consider that for a moment before shaking his head. “I’m good from here,” he said. “It’s only a couple more hours on foot to the port where we agreed to meet. And it’s probably best if you’re not around when Azula finds out what happened.”

“Good point. Good lucky, buddy.”

“Thanks,” Zuko said, and maybe it was just the light, but he looked like he was blushing a little. “You, too.”

* * *

It took a little longer than the ‘couple more hours’ he’d claimed to reach the _Arashi_ , but Zuko still made it before his deadline. Azula was waiting at the top of the gangplank, arms crossed.

“I am getting you a leash, Zuzu,” she announced as soon as he had both feet on the deck. “I _told_ you there’d be consequences if you got captured again.”

“Technically, you told me there’d be consequences if I got stolen by pirates again,” Zuko pointed out, sighing.

Azula ignored him, looking him over. Her gaze lingered on the new bruises and the fresh bandages on his arms, her breathing deep and even. “You’re grounded,” she said.

“For how long?”

“Until sunrise the day after tomorrow.”

“Do you want to hear what happened?”

“No, but you’re going to tell me, anyway.” She took his hand and tugged, the gentleness of it showing that the only reason she wasn’t shaking was because she wasn’t letting herself.

Zuko saw a great deal of smothering in his near future, and he had only himself to blame for it. This time, he’d deal with it as long as she needed him to.

He definitely owed her that now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I haven't been responding to comments these last few chapters, due to needing to hoard all my spoons for writing, but rest assured I _am_ reading them, and they _are_ motivating me!
> 
> (Thanks to MistressFi for this chapter's title, swiped from their comment last chapter.)


	8. The Crew Become Azula Stans

Zuko’s preheat usually gave him about six hours’ warning. It wasn’t much compared to what some omegas got, but it was more than enough to alert his guards and send word to Azula if she happened to be in Caldera, so he’d never really felt as if he needed a longer preheat, despite all Father’s veiled comments about being ‘quick-blooded’ and ‘below average even in this’.

It was probably a good thing he was going into heat now, even if it was a little earlier than he’d expected: his heats usually settled Azula as much as him, and they needed that right now. As far as Zuko could tell, an omega’s heat was meant to ensure the entire pack was emotionally healthy and deal with any strained relationships or disagreements between members. They both always felt more stable and content afterward, even when nothing else had actually changed, and any tension between them was usually lessened when it didn’t vanish altogether.

With any luck, the same thing would happen this time.

Preheat started just after midday. Zuko left their cabin only long enough to raid the linen closet, making off with all the spare blankets and pillows in it, then returned and set about turning the futon into a proper nest, piled high with soft freshly-laundered bedding just waiting to be scented. Then he spent an hour or two fussing with the few moveable things in the room until Azula finally came back.

She stepped inside and closed the door, standing there for a minute just watching him with a slight smile on her face. “Silly, Zuzu, you should’ve sent for me,” she said.

“You were busy,” he said, grabbing her hands in his and pulling her to the nest. “And upset.”

Azula hummed, shedding her armor as soon as he let go. He didn’t help her; that was for everyday and for her ruts, when his job was to support and serve her. His heats were different. When he was in heat, his only job was to let her take care of him.

She set aside the last of her armor and let Zuko push her down into the nest and arrange her to his liking, so that he could curl up halfway in her lap with his head against her shoulder and his arms around her waist. She pulled the tie from his hair and began to run the fingers of one hand through it.

“I’m not upset with you, Zuzu,” she told him after a minute.

“You’re upset because of me.”

“Yes, I suppose. It’s not _your_ fault the rest of the world wants to get its grubby paws on my wonderful omega, though.”

“I promised I'd be careful.”

Azula sighed. She was not as good at this sort of thing as she’d like, Zuko knew, and it frustrated her, and she had to work to _not_ keep her frustration from him while he was in heat; he was more sensitive than usual, more likely to think her hiding things was a failure on _his_ part, which was the last thing she wanted.

She had to be bad at something and admit to being bad at something, and she was willing to because that was what he needed from her.

It was hard, but Azula did her best. She let her frustration show, just a little. “I will never blame you for what other people do to you,” she told him, lifting her other hand and laying it over his left eye, touch so light he couldn’t feel it at all through the scar tissue. “And I will try not to blame myself.”

Zuko nodded slightly, leaning into her hand until the pressure registered and the warmth seeped through.

“We’ll work this out, Zuzu,” she promised. “We’re pack.”

“We’re pack,” he agreed. “We’ll be okay.”

Assuming his heat being early was the only thing to change, they had three days to figure out how to be okay. That should be more than enough.

* * *

The crew of the _Arashi_ were not idiots. They all knew the rumors of their princess’s strength and cunning. They’d all seen the truth of those rumors for themselves.

They knew she was failing her mission on purpose.

The Avatar was a child, not even presented yet, with two children the princess’s own age as company. Catching him should have been easy for a girl of Princess Azula’s caliber. He should never have made it off Kyoshi. And maybe that had been a fluke, maybe he’d gotten lucky, but again and again he slipped through Princess Azula’s fingers, and each time he did, it meant the _Arashi_ ’s mission was extended.

It meant even longer before they could go home.

No one could guess at the game she was playing, and the dread she inspired in them slowly began to lose ground to resentment. Prince Zuko was good at handling his sister’s moods and a fair hand at soothing the crew, but it was only a matter of time before something had to give.

That something bent as Princess Azula stood on deck, watching the Avatar fly by under gray skies, and blinked her golden eyes at them innocently and ordered them _not_ to pursue.

“This storm could become bad,” she insisted. “I could never risk my loyal crew in such weather.”

The _Arashi_ was top of the line, newly commissioned, and fully capable of riding out a little rain, but their commander had given them their orders, and they had no choice but to obey.

Obey, and grumble bitterly under their breath once they were certain she wasn’t listening.

The storm did turn worse, churning the sea into high choppy waves that rocked the _Arashi_ but did not risk capsizing her. Rain lashed the deck, driving most of the crew belowdecks, gathered in the cargo hold around a bottle of fire whiskey and a jug of Hanako’s engine brew, where lips could be a little looser and tones slightly more disrespectful.

“It’s like she thinks this is a pleasure cruise,” Jee complained, growling.

“To her it probably is,” Satomi said with a snort. “Big fancy ship full of people who have to do what she says, no Fire Lord to rein her in, and a pretty omega at her beck and call day and night? Sounds like a cindered pleasure to me.”

“Careful with that talk,” Genji warned her. “Beta doesn’t save you from a jealous alpha’s wrath.”

Satomi snorted again, snagging the moonshine from Teruko and splashing some into her cup. “Regular little dragon, our princess is. What does she care about us?”

“Dragon about covers it,” Kyo said, intercepting the moonshine on its way back to Teruko. “I could see her breathing fire.”

“Dragons at least care about their hoards,” Hanako pointed out. “That girl doesn’t care about anyone but herself.”

“That isn’t true at all.”

Kyo fumbled the jug, nearly dropping it, as every crew member present scrambled to their feet and hastily bowed.

Prince Zuko sighed. “That’s really not necessary,” he said. “Please sit back down.”

They all scrambled to obey, and Kyo nearly dropped the jug again. Prince Zuko sighed again, approaching their little circle, hesitating a moment before settling into one of the empty seats.

“I know,” he said, “that this mission has been long and trying. I know it’s natural for you all to feel… less than kindly toward my sister. But it’s not her fault.”

“With respect, Highness,” Teruko said, “We all know she could’ve ended this by now.”

Zuko nodded. “She could have. She hasn’t because she’s protecting me.” Silence and blank stares met that, so he elaborated. “Father hates me. He would have killed me years ago, if Azula hadn’t claimed me.”

Several pairs of eyes slid to the very visible scar on Prince Zuko’s face. Several people found their minds drawn back to old unfounded rumors.

“I’m certain some of you have heard rumors,” Zuko said. “About how I got this scar. The worst ones you’ve heard are probably the closest to the truth.”

They listened, in silence that ranged from stunned to horrified, as he told them about presenting, about worrying for his little sister, spending her first rut with her.

About leaving her rooms to find Fire Lord Ozai waiting in the hall.

About words no father should ever spit at his 13-year-old son.

About Ozai’s burning hand on his face, meant to disfigure.

About how it only stopped when an 11-year-old Azula attacked their father.

About Azula sitting in the infirmary promising she would never let Ozai hurt him again.

About a three-year campaign of cruelty and forced neglect that failed to drive the wedge Ozai wanted between his children.

About the fate waiting for Prince Zuko, should Princess Azula deliver the Avatar to their father as ordered.

“Azula’s pretty sure he’ll marry me off to one of his pet officers at this point,” Zuko explained. “Probably Zhao. But he might just kill me outright.”

No one protested the possibility. It probably said something about their Fire Lord, that him killing his children in cold blood for no reason seemed like something he would do.

“So until Azula can figure out a way to prevent that, we can’t go home. I’m sorry that you have to suffer for that.”

“Highness, a little extra time at sea is a small price to pay for your safety,” Teruko assured him. “If anyone says otherwise, Hanako will gladly shank them for you.”

“Twice,” Hanako agreed.

“Princess Azula will figure something out,” Kyo said, smiling. “In the meantime, we’re getting paid to purposely screw up our jobs, I guess.”

“Don’t phrase it like that, Helmsman,” Jee said with a sigh. “Please.”

Prince Zuko smiled at them. It was a bit like the sun coming up. His true smiles were rare and usually reserved for his sister, so having one directed at them was warming.

The prince stayed in the cargo hold with them until supper, then excused himself politely and left them with a better understanding of their severely underaged commander and a lot more patience for this seemingly endless mission of theirs.

* * *

“We can rest here,” Katara said, examining the roof of the ruined building closely.

“Seriously, guys, I’m fine,” Sokka insisted, interrupting himself to cough like his lungs were attempting to escape. “S’just a little cough.”

Appa groaned, flopping down on the ground, and Sokka cackled.

“We can rest here,” Katara repeated, eying Sokka with concern. “Hopefully, he’ll feel better tomorrow.”

Aang nodded, starting to set up camp while Katara got Sokka comfortable.

Then Katara started coughing, too.

* * *

Zhao sent them a message, despite the _Arashi_ being close enough to his current location to make gloating in person a realistic option. Given how his last attempt at gloating had turned out, Zuko wasn’t all that surprised; the burns Azula had given him on Crescent Island probably still stung every time he moved too quickly. So instead he sent a message, delivered by a soldier who fled as soon as Azula dismissed him, informing her that Zhao had captured the Avatar, so they could just run along home now.

Azula handed the scroll to Jee, who read it out loud. Several people winced, casting apprehensive glances in Azula’s direction, and Zuko caught more than one pitying look in the corner of his good eye.

Azula breathed deeply, blue sparks dancing around her fists for a moment before she got it under control.

“Lieutenant,” she snapped. “Bridge. Now. We need a plan.”

Jee saluted smartly and immediately hurried off.

“Hey,” Zuko said, laying a hand on her shoulder and squeezing. “It’ll be okay.”

Azula nodded, pulling on calm like a disguise. “Go back to our den,” she said. “I’ll meet you there once we have a course of action.”

Zuko nodded, kissing her temple, and headed for their cabin. He knew as well as Azula did that there was nothing she could do to free the Avatar; Father would never forgive her treason that bold. She couldn’t do anything to hide her identity, either; her fire was too unique, and she didn’t know how to fight without it. The strategy meeting would drag on and end with no real solution.

Zuko closed the cabin door with a sigh, one hand straying to his collar. There was nothing Azula could do.

Zuko, on the other hand…

Zuko had extensive training in swordsmanship and stealth, fire the same orange as everyone else’s if he _had_ to use it, and a ‘purely decorative’ theater mask that he knew from experience he was perfectly capable of fighting in.

He stepped away from the door, staring out the cabin porthole at the setting sun. Night was falling, and Azula would be back late. He could be out and gone with no one the wiser, and he stood a far better chance of surviving Pohuai Stronghold and the Yuyan Archers stationed there than anyone else on this ship.

His fingertips curled around the edges of the collar, thumb tracing Azula’s name carved into the largest ruby. He reached into his pocket with his other hand and withdrew a small gold key. If Azula’s attendant omega were caught committing treason, it would be treated as if she herself had committed it.

If he did this, he couldn’t be Azula’s.

Closing his eyes, Zuko slid his hand along the scrollwork and filigree to the back of his neck, finding the all-but-invisible keyhole there. He inserted the key, forcing his breath to remain calm as he turned it. He flinched, just slightly, as the mechanism popped open, collar sliding off and leaving his neck bare.

It was so much worse than the time he’d had to take it off last year to have one of the segments repaired: then, Azula had been with him, had known, had rested her own hand possessively on the back of his neck as a temporary replacement. He didn’t get that comfort now, as he laid it carefully on the desk below where the mask of the Dark Water Spirit hung, laying the key next to it.

He’d be back before morning. Azula would understand.

He took the mask off the wall and turned his back on his collar, reaching for his swords.

Azula would understand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for no update yesterday, but this chapter _kicked my ever-loving ass_ , y'all. I had to restart it like four different times and I still don't like it. And that last scene isn't even all that angsty but it still kinda broke me. But up next is the Blue Spirit, so this was all worth it!
> 
> Thanks for reading, y'all, and to everyone who takes the time to comment! I love you folks!


	9. Zuko Stages A Prison Break

Breaking into one of the most secure forts in the world was almost insultingly easy, and Zuko had half a mind to write a strongly-worded letter to the commander in charge of Pohuai as soon as he got back to the _Arashi_ . It was almost as if they _wanted_ someone to walk right in and make off with the Avatar.

Then again, the commander was already having to deal with Zhao. Maybe that was punishment enough.

He slipped past the single guard doing inspections with no trouble at all and immediately melted into the shadows, part of his concentration on suppressing his scent as he moved deeper into the complex, past guards looking on in boredom as Zhao droned his way through what was apparently a very long and lackluster speech. No one would dare yawn while Azula was speaking, even if they thought she couldn’t see them.

Pohuai was old, its halls well-mapped, and Zuko knew at least its basics from the lessons he wasn’t supposed to sit in on with Azula. The Avatar was a valuable prisoner and a powerful one, so he would be near the top of the central tower, to make escape more difficult. Zuko just had to get there, free him, and get them both out. Easy.

He took a deep breath and scrambled up the second wall, slipping through a window someone had decided was small enough to leave open without presenting a security risk.

He could do this.

* * *

Azula sighed, staring down at her desk with her hands on her hips and her flame itching beneath her skin, wondering how in Agni’s name she hadn’t seen this coming.

What had she expected, really? Zuko was smart. He’d know without being told that there was nothing she could do without compromising herself, and of course the self-sacrificing dum-dum would immediately jump on the chance to do something about it himself. Really, how had she not known exactly what was going to happen as soon as she left him alone?

She sighed again, gaze drifting up to the blank spot on the wall where Mother’s mask usually hung. They were going to have to start putting that somewhere less obvious, if Zuko was planning to make a habit of this.

Unfortunately, Azula’s hands were now even more tied than they’d been before Zuko decided to take up a temporary career in vigilantism; not only could she not risk her own position in trying to help the Avatar, but now she had to cover for Zuko, too. Leaving his collar behind might help _her_ if he was discovered, but it left _him_ even more vulnerable.

She turned and opened the door, calling to the first person she saw. “Pikeswoman Satomi.”

Satomi turned and saluted her with none of the grudgingness that had crept into her bearing as their mission had dragged on. There’d been a shift in the crew since that storm the other day; Azula was certain it was somehow Zuko’s doing that most of the crew had given up on contempt and replaced it mostly with respect, but she had no idea what he’d done to achieve it. She’d have to ask him about it; it was obviously _very_ effective.

“If Commander Zhao or any of his toadies find their way aboard, inform them that Prince Zuko is in heat and we are both unavailable.”

Satomi frowned slightly, because Zuko could not possibly have gone into heat again this fast, but nodded.

“Spread the word to the rest of the crew, and have the hawker reseal Zhao’s last message. I haven’t seen it yet.”

Satomi’s confusion cleared, and she nodded again. “Aye, sir. Anything else?”

“Find something on this boat we can use as an Agni-damned _leash_.”

Satomi actually smiled at her. “Can do, sir.”

“Dismissed, Pikeswoman.”

Satomi saluted again and marched off down the corridor. Azula stepped back into her cabin and closed the door.

She returned to the desk once more, gathering up Zuko’s collar and key. When he got back, she was grounding him for at least a week.

Then she was _absolutely_ going to put that boy on a leash.

* * *

Zuko was starting to get offended on behalf of Pohuai’s staff. It took him nearly an hour to finally access the central tower, and Zhao was _still_ droning on in the distance. The soldiers stationed here deserved a bonus just for putting up with the ass; Zuko really couldn’t understand why Father kept promoting him.

Still, the self-aggrandizing speech served Zuko’s purposes, as only a skeleton staff had been left in the tower itself, everyone else having been called to the courtyard to listen whether they wanted to or not. Those left behind were more relaxed, obviously not expecting a break-in. Zuko was able to find the floor the Avatar was being held on and make it all the way to the hall leading to it with no one any the wiser.

There were four guards stationed at the door, more than most of the floors below it had, at the end of a long hallway with no branches. It took some quick thinking, but he managed to take them out eventually.

The cell door wasn’t even locked. The room beyond was cavernous, centered on a platform where Aang stood with his wrists and ankles chained wide. He looked dejected and very young, head hanging. At the door opening he glanced up, confusion written across his face.

“Who are you?” he asked.

Zuko lifted a finger to the mouth of his mask, signalling for quiet. Aang nodded. Zuko crossed the room quickly, bringing his swords down on the chains, which broke easily under the onslaught. Then he grabbed Aang’s wrist and started back toward the cell door.

“Wait, my frogs!” Aang exclaimed nonsensically. Zuko looked down, and yep: there was a frog, hopping serenely by. “My pack needs those frogs!”

Zuko… did not know what to do with that. What could Sokka and Katara need so badly with some frogs that Aang would stop in the middle of escaping to try and collect them?

He gave himself a mental shake and decided to worry about it later. He grabbed Aang by the back of his robes and hauled him away from the frogs and toward freedom.

Of course, the fact that it had been so easy to get inside Pohuai did not in any way mean that getting out would also be easy, especially with an extra person to account for. They’d barely left the tower before the alert went up, and it took all of Zuko’s skill and far more luck than he was used to to keep them from running headlong into patrols at every corner.

Small squads had broken away from the crowd in the courtyard, Zuko could see once they paused on a rooftop to wait for another patrol to pass below them, but most of them had stayed; his prisoner was escaping, and Zhao was _still. Fucking. Talking._

In his irritation, his control over his scent slipped, just a little. Aang leaned closer, taking a rudely obvious sniff. “Wait, _Zu-_ ”

Zuko cut him off by waving the very sharp point of a sword in his face.

The boy winced and mouthed an apology. Zuko lowered his sword and peered down into the alley to make sure the way was clear, then waved for Aang to follow him before jumping down.

He wasn’t surprised when they were spotted just as they reached the last buildings before the outer wall; if anything, he was surprised they hadn’t been spotted sooner. He was definitely finding a way to get them that strongly-worded letter.

The fight that followed was a whirlwind, metaphorically and literally. Zuko had obviously never fought beside an airbender before, but even using strictly non-lethal means and obviously holding back his full strength, Aang was still a force to be reckoned with. He also adapted well to his temporary ally and knew how to use his environment to his benefit.

When the soldiers managed to ground them and the Yuyan Archers stepped in, Zuko didn’t hesitate to bring both swords up and press them to Aang’s neck. Aang froze, but managed to stay mostly calm as Zuko backed them toward the gates, taking deep satisfaction at the frustration and fury on Zhao’s face as he ordered the gates opened for them.

Once they were clear of the fort walls, Zuko let Aang go and gave him a push toward safety, turning slightly to bat aside a volley of arrows.

He didn’t see the one aimed for his head until it was too late.

* * *

Somehow, Aang made it back to the ruins where he’d left the others carrying Zuko and Zuko’s swords and Zuko’s mask. There was a bad bruise forming on the prince’s temple, halfway hidden by his hair. If the arrow hadn’t hit his mask, he’d be dead. It was a chilling thought.

He laid Zuko on Appa’s tail and covered him with a spare blanket, setting his mask and swords nearby, before setting out a lot more cautiously to get some more frogs.

Luck was on his side, and he found two nicely frozen frogs in short order without encountering a single archer or scout, and made it back safely once more.

The frogs seemed to do the trick; Sokka and Katara were both feeling much better very soon. Aang brought them water to wash the taste of frog out of their mouths and hugged them both tightly. The three of them had a nice little cuddle on Appa’s warm and fuzzy side until Katara delicately sniffed the air and sat up, twisting to look behind her.

“What’s he doing here?” she asked, gesturing at Zuko still peacefully asleep on Appa’s tail.

Aang recounted his adventure starting from leaving them to visit the herbalist, all the way through getting back with Zuko.

Which was about when Zuko finally woke up.

* * *

Zuko groaned softly to himself, wondering what in Agni’s name happened. He remembered rescuing Aang, getting out of the Stronghold, then… nothing. And now his head was _killing_ him.

“Hey, you’re awake!” Aang exclaimed cheerfully, bounding over and plopping down next to him. “How are you feeling?”

“My head hurts,” Zuko reported, sitting up slowly. Someone - probably Aang - had covered him with a blanket while he was out, and it slid down to pool around his hips. “Where am I?”

“In the ruins of Taku,” Aang said. “You took an arrow to the facemask while we were escaping and it knocked you out, so I brought you back to our camp.”

“I see.” He glanced around, spotting his swords and mask on the ground nearby, and Sokka and Katara sitting in their sleeping bags further up the bison (he’d been lying on the bison’s tail, which had no right being this comfortable). “Thank you.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Your concern is appreciated.” The response was automatic, an empty knee-jerk reply to anyone expressing interest or concern in his health. It sounded slightly different now that he actually meant it.

Zuko pulled the blanket off, taking stock of himself. He could feel the aches under his clothing where he knew he’d have yet more bruises for Azula to fuss over, and the short sharp lines of pain that were nicks and scrapes.

“You’re not wearing your collar,” Katara realized, sounding almost hopeful.

One of the arrows had managed to nick the side of his neck, tearing the fabric at an angle that left most of his throat exposed. He reached up with both hands in an attempt to cover it.

“Because wearing it while committing active treason would put Azula at risk,” he snapped. “I’m putting it back on as soon as I get back to the ship.”

Katara started scowling again.

“Katara, lay off,” Sokka said, batting lightly at her shoulder, which just made her switch to scowling at him instead. “If Zuko’s that devoted to his crazy sister, we have to respect that.”

“I thought you, at least, would understand,” Zuko muttered halfway to himself, standing and grabbing his swords. The movement made his head throb, but he’d pushed through worse.

“Um, I’m very much _not_ sleeping with my sister.”

“Neither am I!” Zuko burst out.

Three people, a giant flying bison, and a winged lemur all turned to stare at him as one. The lemur blinked as if in surprise.

“Then dude, you might wanna talk to somebody about your rep,” Sokka said. “Because 98% of the world thinks you are.”

“The world is _supposed_ to- look, just forget I said anything.”

“Don’t think we can, buddy. You kind of owe Aang for all the Katara-rants he’s had to sit through on this.”

“I don’t mind,” Aang said at the same time Katara snapped, “I do not rant!”

Zuko glared at the group at large for a long moment before switching his glare to the wall. “Azula is my alpha,” he said. “My _pack_ alpha.”

“I thought the Fire Nation didn’t have packs anymore,” Katara protested.

“Did you think that was a natural process?” Zuko demanded. “That we… what, became so inhuman as a people that pack culture died out on its own?”

“Um… kinda?” Sokka admitted.

“Great-Grandfather deliberately destroyed packs,” Zuko said. “He made it illegal to teach about them, removed all legal protections from them, and did everything he could to stigmatize the concept. Because people are a lot less likely to raise a fuss about their friends being sent off to war than their packmates.”

“But obviously it didn’t work, if you have a pack,” Aang pointed out helpfully.

“It’s still human nature,” Zuko said, shrugging. “And the circumstances were… it probably doesn’t happen often. But it did for me and Azula. We’ve been pack since her first rut when she was eleven. It’s just… safer. To be known as lovers instead of pack.”

Aang nodded. “It can’t be easy, having to let people say such awful stuff about your pack,” he said sympathetically. He was a good kid.

“It’s better than being taken away from her,” he admitted. “I just...” he sighed, running his hands through his hair, mindful of the bruise on his temple. “I guess I was hoping that the only reason people are so willing to believe such horrible things about Azula is because they didn’t have the right context. But I guess to you it was just proof that the Fire Nation is inherently evil or something.”

Sokka winced. Katara looked caught out but unrepentant.

“I mean, in fairness to us,” Sokka said, “we were _told_ that you were lovers. Like if someone’d said ‘she shares his heats!’ in a scandalized tone of voice I’d just be like ‘yeah? that’s what a good alpha does?’. But no one said that to us.”

“And you can’t blame us when you literally just said you _wanted_ people to believe those rumors,” Katara added.

“I’m not _blaming_ you, I’m just-” he broke off with a growl. “Just drop it, okay? I’m glad you’re feeling better, keep your mouths shut about this, see you later.”

He stooped to pick up his mask, but the lemur beat him to it, grabbing it by the ties and gliding over to Aang, dropping it in his hands.

“I’m pretty sure Zhao’s men are still combing the forest,” Aang pointed out. “Do you have a meet-up point where you can wait for Azula?”

“... Yes.”

“So that’s a no, then,” Sokka said. “Were you planning to just stoll on back past that freaky Fire Nation fort with your mask on and hope no one caught you?”

“I’m very good at not being caught,” Zuko said defensively. “The only reason I’m not already back at the ship is because one of the archers got lucky.”

“One of the archers shot you in the face,” Aang reminded him. “There’s even a nick on your mask now.”

“I don’t think it’s safe for you to go back on your own,” Katara said, but she at least didn’t say she didn’t think he should go back at all.

“So what, you’ll take me? Then you risk being caught by Zhao _and_ Azula, who might not stop to ask questions before she starts throwing fireballs.”

“Fair point,” Sokka said, sighing. “What has to happen now is pretty obvious, I think, but you’re not going to like it.”

“I’m listening,” Zuko said neutrally, crossing his arms.

“We can’t take you back to your sister, you’re absolutely right about that. We can’t let you find your own way back, for aforementioned reasons. It’s way too dangerous, and if anything happens to you your sister with straight-up murder us.”

“She might not go _straight_ to murder.”

“We can’t take that chance. So. I’m sorry, Zuko, but: we’re gonna have to kidnap you.”

“ _Excuse me?_ ”

“Just a temporary, totally consensual kidnapping,” Sokka assured him quickly. “You can escape the next time we run into your sister. Deal?”

Zuko scowled. He had to admit Sokka was making a lot of good points, especially with regard to how Azula would probably react if she found out the Avatar’s pack had just let him wander off in Zhao’s direction alone.

He didn’t like it, but then he did a lot of things he didn’t like.

“Fine,” he said. “But you do not tie me up, and your sister keeps her mouth shut about my sister.”

“But-” Katara protested, proving that the stipulation was needed.

“Deal,” Sokka said. “But Katara gets to make passive-aggressive faces at you when she thinks you’re not looking.”

Zuko smiled in spite of himself. “I can live with that,” he agreed.

There was nothing _passive_ about the face Katara made at him. Somehow, he didn’t feel threatened.

Aang whooped, launching himself a few feet into the air and landing on his feet. “Welcome to the- I guess you aren’t a member of the Bison-Back Pack just because you’re traveling with us...”

“Yeah, you’re more like the pack’s plus-one,” Sokka said. “We’ll have to come up with a new name for ourselves while you’re with us; _Bison-Back Pack Plus One_ is too long to say in casual conversation.”

Zuko snorted, still smiling. “You’re ridiculous,” he informed Sokka, who grinned like he’d just been complimented. “Can we just go? Before Zhao decides to check this very obvious hiding spot of yours?”

“Sure thing,” Sokka said. “Go head and climb aboard.”

Zuko accepted his mask back from Aang and obediently climbed up into the saddle. Sokka tossed a few bundles up and climbed in himself, while Katara scuffed out any sign of the campfire before joining them. Aang jumped up onto the bison’s head, taking hold of the reins.

They rose into the midmorning mist. Zuko closed his eyes, hand moving automatically to his throat. His uneasiness was not helped when he found only cloth and bare flesh instead of gold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter broke 3k words! I'm so proud of myself. :)


	10. Aunt Wu Is Highly Amused

They made camp a good distance from the ruins, deep in the woods. Zuko used a fire dart to get the campfire going, which was much faster than how it usually went, and Katara privately wished they could just keep him.

Once they’d actually set things up, Sokka announced he was going hunting and left, and Aang decided to take a nap, since he’d been up all last night being held captive by the Fire Nation. Katara left him to it and started sorting through their supplies for something to make for dinner.

After a minute or so, Zuko dropped into a crouch next to her.

“Can I help?” he asked.

Katara paused in her preparations, blinking up at him. “You know how to cook?”

Zuko shook his head, blushing. “No. Dekku wouldn’t teach me, said it was beneath me, but I’ve always wanted to learn.”

“Huh,” she said, then shrugged. “Sure. Another pair of hands is always helpful when cooking.”

“Just tell me what to do and don’t make fun of me if I’m really bad at it.”

Katara smiled, settling on an easy soup, and started teaching a Fire Nation prince how to cook like a Water Tribe bride. It was surprisingly fun; Zuko was very good at following her instructions, and seemed to respect that she was the better cook and therefore in charge, even if she was a girl and younger than him.

Several times while they prepared the vegetables and herbs for the pot, she noticed him reaching up almost absently to rub at the side or back of his neck, as if it ached.

“You’ve been touching your neck a lot,” she said about the tenth time it happened. “Is it bothering you?”

“No,” he said, hesitating a moment before adding, “I just miss my collar.”

“What was up with that collar, anyway?”

“It’s my attendant’s collar.” He glanced sideways at her, probably seeing her confusion, and elaborated. “It’s a really old law, like, it was old when Sozin was on the throne, but... unwed imperial alphas, as a means of protecting them from being manipulated through their… baser instincts… can take unwed imperial omegas as lovers. It hasn’t been used almost since Sozin’s time, but it’s still legal. Making me her attendant omega was the only way for Azula to be allowed near me while she’s in rut or I’m in heat.”

“I see,” Katara said, generously keeping her thoughts on such a barbaric law to herself. For now. “It seemed like it was more important than that.”

“It is. To me, anyway,” Zuko said, sighing. “To everyone else it just marks me as Azula’s lover. Or her slave, if they’re feeling less charitable. But to me, it means I’m part of her pack. It’s proof of how much we mean to each other. I don’t like not having it.”

“So it’s kind of like my mother’s necklace,” Katara said after a moment. “I lost it a while back, and it… it feels a little like I’ve lost my last connection to her.”

“The necklace you were wearing on Kyoshi?” Zuko asked. “Round blue pendant, engraved, blue ribbon?”

“Yes?”

“You left it behind on that earthbender prison rig you liberated. Azula has it. Once we meet up with her again, I’ll get it back for you.”

“You’d do that for me?” she asked in surprise. “Even after I’ve been such a jerk to you, and am technically actively participating in kidnapping you?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s not kidnapping if I agree to it,” he said. “And yes.”

Katara squealed happily and threw her arms around Zuko in a grateful hug, almost knocking him over.

“Sorry!” she apologized, letting him go and shufflin back slightly. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he assured her with a smile. “Just forcefully reminded of Ty Lee for a moment there.”

“Ty Lee?”

“One of my friends. Well, she’s mostly Azula’s friend, but she’s one of two people I’m not related to who are allowed to touch me, so… you’d like her. Everyone likes Ty Lee.”

“I’m sure she’s very likeable,” Katara said. “Wait- am I not supposed to touch you? Am I a Fire Nation felon now?”

Zuko laughed. “I’m fairly certain the prison break rated higher,” he said. “But yeah, technically no one’s supposed to touch me without Father or Azula’s permission. We’re not really big on casual touching. But I don’t mind, so I’m sure Azula won’t.”

“That’s a relief,” Katara said, smiling, and elbowed him lightly in the side. “Hey, look at us, getting along!”

“I guess anything really _is_ possible.”

She snorted, dumping the last of the ingredients into their pot. “Shut up. This just needs to simmer for a little while now, which will give me just enough time to check on your injuries. Hopefully you’ll have your shirt back on by the time Sokka gets back.”

Zuko blushed again, visible even though dusk had fallen. It must be a curse to be so pale. Katara smiled and kept keeping her comments to herself as she went to grab her medical supplies.

* * *

Zuko wound up having to borrow some of Sokka’s clothing, since his own was a bit too… _breaking into Pohuai Stronghold_ for everyday wear. Seeing Zuko wrapped up in Water Tribe blue did things to Sokka’s mind that he wasn’t ready to examine too closely, but he guessed this was what Bato had always meant when he talked about ‘alpha brain’. The fact that the shirt was a little too tight and left his arms completely bare did not help. Zuko’s usual armor and flowy Fire Nation clothes did a lot to hide how ripped he was, and Sokka had not been prepared for those biceps. Or those abs. Or those _all of him_.

Tui, he hoped he wasn’t drooling.

“You look good, Zuko,” Katara said brightly, coming up beside Sokka and leaning against him. “Doesn’t he, Sokka?”

Sokka made noises that seemed to land somewhere near the word yes. Zuko looked confused. Katara laughed at him.

Sokka’s rescue from himself came in the form of an enraged platypus bear and its way-too-calm prey. This somehow led to them being given an umbrella and getting caught in a rainstorm and the universe laughing at him.

They eventually reached a village at the base of a mountain, where the sketchiest dude Sokka had ever seen outside of a pirate crew was lying in wait.

“Aunt Wu is expecting you.”

* * *

Aunt Wu was a kind-faced old alpha with heavy perfume and a knowing stare. She swept Katara away first; she came back staring at her palm in awe. Sokka went reluctantly and came back looking even more skeptical than before, then Aang volunteered to go.

When Aang came back, Zuko tried to refuse, but Katara was pushy and Zuko was used to giving in to little sisters, so he stood with a sigh and followed Aunt Wu deeper into her shop.

Aunt Wu sat on a flat cushion, gesturing for Zuko to take the one opposite her.

“Show me your palm, young man,” she instructed.

He held one hand out obediently. She cupped one hand just below his, not quite touching it. The fingers she traced over the lines of his palm also didn’t actually touch, observing at least some of the customs of the Earth Kingdom regarding unmated, unrelated omegas.

Obviously not _all_ of them, since she was alone in a closed room with him, but _some_.

“You have dragonfire in your heart, omega,” she said after a moment. “Fierce and loyal. The alpha you will marry sees this already, and already thinks well of you for it.”

In spite of himself, Zuko sat up a little straighter. “I’ve already met them?”

Aunt Wu smiled a mysterious little smile. “The path will be slow, but you will finish it with an alpha as much a friend as a lover. Treasure them.”

“Is that all my future holds? Marriage to an alpha with basic respect?”

She smiled wider at him. “Yours is not a destiny so easily seen,” she said. “Such momentous shifts are too large to be held in one’s palm.”

She sounded so much like Uncle that Zuko couldn’t help but groan. “Why are all old people so cryptic?” he demanded. “Do you swear some sort of oath when you turn fifty? Is there a class you have to take?”

Aunt Wu smiled. “We’re sworn to secrecy on the issue,” she said. “You’ll understand when you’re fifty.”

“Assuming I live that long.”

“That long and longer,” she assured him. “You will change the world, little dragon. You’ve already started.” She moved her hands away and stood. “Some advice for you, from a cryptic old lady: destiny is not immutable, and not always what it first appears to be. Go back to your friends; for now, your destiny lies with them.”

Zuko stood and bowed politely to her. “Thank you for the reading,” he said. Then he headed back to the waiting area where the others were.

* * *

Sokka spent a frustrating morning trying to convince a village full of gullibles that fortunetelling wasn’t real before Aang, trailing his new sweetheart Meng, came to him for romantic advice.

“If you wanna keep her interested, you have to act aloof,” Sokka told him. “Like you don't really care one way or the other.”

“Seriously?” Zuko asked, wrinkling his nose in a way that had no business being that cute. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”

“Dude,” Sokka said, sighing, “I know what I’m talking about.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re making this up as you say it,” Zuko disagreed, crossing his stupid muscly arms. “Who in the world wants to be _ignored_ by someone they like?”

“Um… girls. Seriously, have you ever met a girl?”

“Have you?”

“Is this a trick question, buddy? You _know_ I have a sis..ter. _Touche_.”

Zuko scoffed in disgust, rolling his eyes. “I bet every girl you’ve ever flirted with has attacked you.”

Which was technically true, Sokka had to admit, but that was really only because Suki was 100% of the girls he’d actually flirted with in his life, which really skewed the data.

“Listen, given the sample size we’re working with here-”

“I don’t care,” Zuko said, throwing his hands up. “Aang, please find someone else to ask for dating advice, Sokka’s obviously an idiot. I’m going to go find something to eat.”

Then he turned and stomped attractively down the street.

Sokka sighed to himself. “If we were dating, I would never win an argument with him,” he confided in Aang.

Aang glanced up at him, then back at Zuko, now talking to a fruit vendor. “Huh,” he said. “It works on guys, too. Thanks, Sokka!”

Then he headed off, giving Assistant Meng a taste of his new aloofness. Sokka grinned after him, then went to catch up with Zuko.

“All I’m saying,” he said, launching back into their argument to see if he could get Zuko to do that cute thing with his nose again, “is that girls like to feel like they’re working for your affections.”

“Have you run this theory of yours by any actual girls?” Zuko asked, finally paying for a papaya and a mango.

“My theory is solid,” Sokka said dismissively, attempting to snag the mango and getting his hand smacked for his troubles. “Trust me. Girls are all about hard work being its own reward.”

“In this case, I don’t trust you as far as _you_ could throw _me_.”

Sokka pouted, buying his own mango. “Level with me here, buddy: how many girls have _you_ flirted with?”

“None,” Zuko answered immediately. “I’m not interested in girls that way.”

Sokka nodded, filing that information away for strictly professional research-related purposes. “So what sort of authority do-”

“All of my friends are girls, and every single one of them would disagree with you. Mai disagrees with people by stabbing them, for the record.”

Sokka was saved from coming up with a response to that by the return of Aang.

“Guys, I need your help!” he exclaimed. “I need you to help me find a flower!”

Which somehow saw Sokka climbing a mountain to get a flower. Because Aang did not understand romance, and Mr. I’m Hot And All My Friends Are Girls refused to listen to reason. Aang just insisted he needed to listen to his heart, and Zuko contributed to the conversation entirely in eye-rolling and distracted grunts.

They’d nearly reached the summit where Aang’s precious panda lilies awaited when Zuko came to a sudden stop and frowned, staring down at the ground.

“What’s up?” Sokka asked.

“The volcano’s too active,” Zuko said. “The heat’s too near the surface. I think-”

“Um, guys?” Aang called from up ahead, where he stood on the lip of the volcano, expression shocked and horrified. “Aunt Wu was wrong.”

* * *

Sokka was a genius. Not even a stroke-of-brilliance genius, but a full-time genius who was just always amazing, like Azula. Not only did he give up warning the villagers themselves as a lost cause long before a lesser alpha would have, he also came up with a plan to save the town while Aang and Katara tricked Aunt Wu into getting through to the villagers.

Zuko didn’t often wish that he were a better bender than he actually was. He was usually perfectly content with what he could do, sticking to his tricks and leaving the showier, more powerful bending to Azula, but Sokka’s plan didn’t have room for a swordsman. Azula could have found a way to use her bending to help, but Zuko was stuck making certain the townspeople evacuated safely while Aang and the local earthbenders did most of the actual work.

Somehow, no one died. Somehow, most of the town remained intact at the end of the day. Somehow, Zuko began to understand just why Father was so afraid of a 12-year-old boy.

That kid was one _powerful_ bender.

When they were ready to head out again, Zuko hung back slightly, catching Aunt Wu’s attention. She finished up whatever talk she was having with Aang and stepped over to him, expression politely attentive.

“If a teenaged alpha shows up looking for her brother or her omega,” he said, “Please tell her to stick to her mission: we’ll meet again.”

One corner of Aunt Wu’s mouth ticked upward. “I see the crypticness has fallen on you early,” she noted. “I’ll be sure the message is passed along and understood.”

“Thank you,” he said, bowing. “For what it’s worth, I think you do a lot of good.”

She smiled more fully at him. “In the end, the good we do can outweigh the methods we use to do it,” she said sagely. “Trust your inner fire, dragonchild. It will guide you to your destiny.”

“Hey, Zuko!” Sokka called from on top of Appa. “You coming, or what?”

“Keep your shirt on!” Zuko called back. “Good-bye, Aunt Wu.”

“Good-bye, your Highness,” Aunt Wu said, softly enough that no one else could hear.

Zuko nodded, turning and hurrying to Appa, jumping up into his saddle. He’d figured she knew, the first time she’d called him a dragon. Sozin’s line was supposed to be descended from them somehow. He was grateful that she’d kept it to herself, but he was just as glad to be getting away from her. Just in case she changed her mind.

“ _Finally_ ,” Sokka said. “We can get out of this kooky place!”

“I for one think Aunt Wu has the gift,” Katara said loftily.

“The woman’s an obvious fraud,” Sokka insisted as they lifted into the air. “She told me I was going to marry a dragon, Katara. A _dragon_.”

Zuko did not choke on that revelation, but it was a near thing.

* * *

Zuzu still wasn’t back. They’d already received word that the Avatar had been liberated by a mysterious masked vigilante and both had gotten away cleanly, so Zuzu should be back. Her omega should be _here_ , should be by her side where she could protect him and ensure he was safe, but he _wasn’t back_.

Azula wanted to rage. She wanted to burn Pohuai and the entire surrounding forest down. She wanted her brother.

Instead, she stomped firmly on her fire. They’d lingered almost too long as it was, and she forced herself to give the order to leave port, without Zuko. She’d find him, or he’d find her. She was sure of it. She just needed a lead, some hint of what might have happened to him, but her mind was in such frenzied chaos that she couldn’t make her own thoughts hold still long enough to think of something.

A boot sole scuffed against metal behind her and she whirled, fist raised and on fire. Helmsman Kyo stood a fair distance behind her, hands held out empty of flame.

“Sorry, sir,” he said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“What do you want?” she demanded, dismissing her fire and forcing her hand back to her side.

“Genji has a report for you, but I was dumb enough to play _tensho_ with him and now I have to deliver it,” Kyo replied. “The Avatar’s been sighted.”

“And I should care about the Avatar... why, exactly?”

“Well, it’s not so much the Avatar as who’s with him,” Kyo said, clearing his throat. “Apparently he’s picked up a third companion. An omega with gold eyes and a facial burn scar.”

Zuko was travelling with the Avatar. Of course he was. Azula could think of several situations that would have ended with that, though she quickly discarded the idea that the Avatar had decided to simply kidnap him. It was most likely because of Zhao’s proximity at the time.

Her thoughts settled abruptly into clarity. Zuko was with the Avatar, who would keep him safe. All she had to do was hunt him down like she was supposed to be doing, anyway, and she’d have her Zuzu back.

“Then why are you here, Helmsman? You have a course to correct. Where is that report?”

He handed the report over with a bow and left her on the double.

As soon as she was certain no one could see, she let herself sag against the railing in relief. Zuko was okay. Zuko was okay, and everything would be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sokka: Fire Prince Hot.  
> Zuko: Fuck, competence is sexy.  
> Katara: *steals popcorn from beyond the fourth wall and enjoys the show*


	11. Bato Enters, Stage Left

Travelling with Aang and his friends was… interesting. In a way that made it difficult to think of them as ‘the Avatar and his companions’. Zuko was very glad Azula was already not actually hunting them, because Zuko did not need that conflict of conscience on top of everything else he was dealing with.

Aang was twelve. He was a little kid. He was insanely powerful, with the fate of the world on his shoulders, and he just wanted to goof off and make friends. He wanted to have fun and experience new things and not fight anyone. Zuko found him endearing and impossible to not like.

Katara was the same age as Azula, but she seemed younger. She was impulsive, hot-tempered, and so very compassionate that Zuko sometimes struggled to comprehend it. She saw the scars in the world and resolved to heal them, entirely by herself if she had to, and don’t bother her with words like ‘impossible’. Seeing her and Azula team up would be amazing and terrifying.

Sokka was only a year younger than Zuko himself, and swung wildly between childish enough to match Aang and far too mature for his age. He was a teenager but also a pack alpha, and Zuko’s experience there might be limited, but from what he could see Sokka was a very good one.

It also had not escaped his attention that Sokka was incredibly attractive. Not just because he was objectively handsome, but because he was a dork with a good heart and an incredible mind who relished in terrible puns and had serious debates with Momo about his plans.

Part of Zuko hoped Azula would catch up to them soon, otherwise he was going to be in serious trouble. Another part of him hoped she took her time, for exactly the same reason.

* * *

June had never given much thought to what the royal family was like. They lived all nice and comfy in Caldera, while June roughed it in the colonies; they were never going to interact, and knowing anything about them as people wasn’t going to affect whether or not their decisions screwed things up for her, so she’d never bothered thinking much about them.

She could say with certainty, however, that she would never have thought up Princess Azula.

Princess was as sharp as a bag full of knives and about as deadly. She reminded June a bit of a feral mongoose lizard, all sharp bits and teeth with no fear and very little common sense.

June liked her.

Princess was a kid who knew what she wanted and how to get it. She’d opened their negotiations by naming a price that raised June’s eyebrows, then stating she would not go higher, but if June felt like arguing she’d be happy to go _lower_.

June did not argue against three times her going rate. June was not an idiot, thank you.

Princess presented her with an odd little blue necklace. She didn’t say why she wanted to find the person who belonged with said necklace, and June knew better than to ask. She simply gave Nyla a sniff, waited for Princess to mount up, and set off.

* * *

They found one of Dad’s boats, hidden among the rocks on the beach. There was no sign of any of the warriors, but it was a link to Dad, and they’d decided to camp near it, just in case.

Night fell with nothing interesting happening. Aang and eventually Katara managed to fall asleep, but Sokka couldn’t. He needed to be up, be awake, just in case.

Zuko sat up with him. They’d learned very quickly that, when not sleeping off a head injury, Zuko didn’t tend to sleep well at all. According to him, he’d been doing better since getting to travel the world with Azula, but now that she wasn’t around it was back to being lucky if he got a few hours of sleep a night.

They didn’t talk much while they waited, but that was okay. Sokka wasn’t sure if Zuko even realized he was doing it, but the scent he’d started giving off as soon as they found signs of the fight was incredibly soothing, and probably the only reason Katara had nodded off at all. It made Sokka less jittery inside and really drove home why Gran-Gran had always insisted that a pack just wasn’t complete without an omega.

It was well into the night and Sokka was starting to droop a little himself when they heard footsteps on the beach, moving toward them. He and Zuko both stood, turning toward the sound and the person making it as they moved close enough to the fire to be recognized.

“Bato?”

“Sokka?” Bato replied, with almost as much disbelief in his voice.

“Bato!” Sokka repeated, throwing himself at Bato and hugging him tightly. Not the manliest of greetings, but Bato was a member of their family pack and he’d missed the guy.

“Bato!” Katara exclaimed from behind him, adding herself to the hug.

The three of them just stood there hugging for a while before Sokka remembered that they weren’t alone and reluctantly pulled back.

“Bato, there’s someone we’d like you to meet,” he said, nudging Katara until she released her death grip on Bato’s waist. “This is our packmate Aang. He’s the Avatar.”

Aang bounded over, grinning. “Hi!”

“A pleasure to meet you, young man,” Bato said, smiling. “And an honor.”

Aang blushed, rocking back on his heels. “Pleasure’s all mine, I assure you. Oh, and this is our friend Zuko,” he added, pointing.

Bato followed the gesture, and his eyes landed on Zuko. The color drained from his face and his eyes seemed to go hazy for a moment, then he was across the campsite, tackling Zuko to the ground with a hand wrapped around his neck.

Zuko, who they all knew by now was a certified badass with his swords, with his bending, and without either, didn’t try to defend himself. He didn’t bend fire or reach for a weapon or even so much as tense as he hit the sand, staying limp and pliant. He didn’t move at all except to tilt his head back (further exposing his throat) and close his eyes. Then he _whined_ , very softly.

The effect on Bato was immediate. He froze, seeming to come back to himself, then let go of Zuko and scrambled off him, panting. Zuko stayed where he was, taking deep breaths.

“Bato? Zuko?” Sokka asked uncertainly, not sure who to check on first.

Bato looked up at him, wide-eyed, still breathing a bit harshly. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t know what- I- I-”

“You saw an enemy,” Zuko said, sitting up slowly, keeping his hands out in the open and his posture relaxed. “You acted. It’s a good instinct to have.”

“You’re not an enemy, Zuko,” Katara hurried to assure him. She also hurried to check him over, which let Sokka move to make sure Bato was alright.

“I’m very obviously Fire Nation,” Zuko pointed out calmly, as if being attacked out of nowhere by strange alphas was something that happened to him all the time. “Don’t know if you’ve heard, but there’s kind of a war on.”

Sokka snorted in spite of himself. “Okay, fair, but still. You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Zuko insisted. His hand twitched slightly, lifting about an inch before he pressed it firmly back into the sand. “Is he?”

“I’m not sure,” Sokka confessed, glancing down at Bato, still ashen-faced and staring at his hands. “Bato?”

Bato twitched, finally looking up at Sokka.

“You okay?” Sokka asked.

Bato looked unsure, but nodded. “Yes. I am so, so sorry.”

“We know,” Sokka assured him, since ‘ _it’s okay_ ’ wasn’t his answer to give. “Wanna try that introduction again?”

Bato nodded, looking at Zuko, and if Sokka hadn’t been so close and watching so closely, he wouldn’t have seen the way Bato flinched, just slightly, when they made eye contact.

“This is Zuko,” Katara said, putting a hand on Zuko’s shoulder. “He helped us out of a tight spot recently, but got separated from his pack in the process. He’s traveling with us until we meet up with his pack again. It’s the least we can do, after he kind of saved our lives.”

If anything, Bato looked even more ashamed. “It’s nice to meet you, Zuko. Forgive me for… whatever that was.”

“It’s fine,” Zuko said, hand twitching again like he wanted to lift it to his throat but didn’t want to set Bato off again or remind him of the whole attempted choking thing. Spirits, he was good at this. “Really.”

Awkward silence fell for a moment, cut by a chill breeze that swept through the campsite, making them all shiver.

“Let’s head back to the abbey,” Bato suggested. “We can talk more there.”

* * *

The abbey where Bato was staying was a nice airy place with a wide courtyard that smelled pleasantly of half a dozen perfumes and soaps. His room there could have been transported directly from a hut at the South Pole, complete with a pot of sea prunes stewing over a little fire.

Katara pestered Bato with questions and so did Sokka. Katara also kept herself between Bato and Zuko, and Sokka also did that, too. No matter how calm about the whole thing Zuko was being, seeing Bato attack him like that had scared her, a little, and she wanted to be able to intervene if it happened again. Zuko wasn’t pack, but there was no doubt in Katara’s mind that he could be very easily, and she wanted him to be safe.

They talked for what felt like hours, her and Sokka and Bato. Aang piped up here and there, not as much as usual but still nothing to worry over. Zuko didn’t speak at all, doing that thing he did where you blinked and forgot he even existed.

The more they talked, the more Bato relaxed. He told them about Dad having to leave him behind because he was wounded, about how he’d be going to meet up with him soon. He even invited them along, if they wanted.

“We’d love to,” Sokka said, sighing, “but we can’t. Aang has to get to the North Pole, and we have to go with him.”

“We’re pack,” Katara added, which was really all the explanation needed. They were Aang’s pack, and they couldn’t abandon him, not even to see Dad.

Bato nodded, as if he’d expected as much. “Look at you two,” he said, smiling. “Your father is going to be so proud when he hears how much you’ve grown.”

Katara smiled back, feeling warm and bubbly inside.

Aang wandered back in. Katara was a bit embarrassed to admit it, but she hadn’t even noticed when he left. He seemed a bit manic and his scent was a bit off, but then it was always difficult to read scent in unpresented kids. She could ask him about it in the morning.

“We should probably get to sleep,” Zuko said suddenly, standing. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“You’re not sleeping in here?” Katara asked, frowning.

“Of course I’m not,” Zuko said. “Don’t be ridiculous, Katara.”

“How am I being ridiculous?” she demanded, affronted.

Zuko turned to Bato. “Would you be able to sleep with me in here?” he asked bluntly. Bato opened his mouth as if to answer, then closed it and turned away. Zuko turned back to Katara, crossing his arms. “That’s how you’re being ridiculous,” he said.

“But you’re not-”

“It doesn’t matter what I am or what I’m not,” Zuko said. “This is Bato’s den. It’s enough he let me in here at all; I’m not going to insist on overstaying my welcome. I’ll sleep with Appa. Good night.”

He turned and stomped out without another word.

Katara half-stood, intending to go after him, but Sokka grabbed her arm. “He’s right, Katara.”

“But-”

“But nothing. We know Zuko’s a good guy, but he’s still Fire Nation. Like, super visibly Fire Nation. It wouldn’t be fair to Bato to insist he be allowed to sleep in here.”

Katara huffed, but sat back down. “I guess you’re right,” she said, sighing. “It’s not like Zuko’s pack.” She paused a moment, then cast a sidelong glance at her brother. “No matter how badly you want him to be,” she added, hoping to lighten the mood a little.

Sokka sputtered, shoving her lightly. “Shut up!”

“You think he’s _ha~andsome!_ ” she sang, watching Bato smile and relax as the tension in the room dissipated. “You want his _mu~uscles!_ ”

“Shut up!” Sokka repeated, blushing brightly, and Bato laughed.

“Ah, first love,” he said wistfully. “Why, when I was your age-”

They all relaxed while Bato told them outrageous stories of the things he’d done to impress handsome alphas and pretty betas in his youth, and Katara resolved to make it up to Zuko tomorrow.

Maybe she could teach him how to make stewed sea prunes. He’d probably love to learn how to make one of Sokka’s favorites.

* * *

Bato woke shortly after sunrise and sat up carefully to avoid waking the children. They’d fallen asleep in a little pack huddle, wrapped around and draped over each other like exhausted polar dog pups. Hakoda was going to be over the moon when he found out his children had made their first independent pack.

Bato smiled down at them and eased himself to his feet, tiptoeing past them. Aang mumbled something in his sleep and burrowed further under Sokka’s arm, but otherwise they didn’t stir as Bato left the room.

The abbey was slowly waking around him as the sun rose into the sky, nuns shuffling along the walkways hiding yawns in their sleeves.

The courtyard was usually empty at this time of day, but today it was occupied. Zuko, stripped to the waist with his hair pulled into a high tail, moved through the steps of a deadly dance with a sword in either hand, so fast the blades seemed to blur. Bato might not be familiar with this specific style, but he knew enough of swordsmanship in general to know that the boy had skill.

Zuko spun, swords flashing in the dawn light, and came to a stop facing Bato. He was covered with a thin sheen of sweat, but his breathing was even and controlled as he straightened, lowering his swords.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Morning,” Bato replied, watching Zuko walk back to a small pile of his things to sheath his swords and pick up a towel to dry his face. “You’re quite good with those.”

“Thank you.”

“If you can fight like that, why didn’t you defend yourself when I attacked you?”

The boy pulled the tie from his damp hair and ran a hand through it, shrugging. “I didn’t want to hurt you,” he said, as if that would have been the only possible result. “It would’ve upset the others. Besides, if you want someone to not see you as a threat, it’s counterproductive to prove that you _are_ one.”

Which was a fair point, but… “I could have hurt you.”

Zuko shook his head. “You weren’t trying to hurt me, you were trying to incapacitate me,” he disagreed. “That’s why you went for the throat: firebenders can’t bend if they can’t breathe. As long as I acted helpless, you wouldn’t have actually harmed me.”

“You sound oddly sure of that,” Bato noted, frowning.

Zuko glanced up at him and huffed out an amused laugh. “I’ve been dealing with violent alphas since I was thirteen,” he said, which was not as reassuring as he seemed to think it was. “I can tell when one is _actually_ violent and when they’re just acting on instinct.”

Bato couldn’t help the way his eyes flicked to the scar covering an uncomfortably large portion of Zuko’s face. Zuko caught his gaze and held it.

“My father,” he said, “is _actually_ violent. You aren’t.”

* * *

“Would it kill these children to _sit still for five minutes_?” Princess demanded in frustration, kicking a loose stone so it bounced off half a ruined wall and scowling off into the distance.

“From your mouth to the spirits’ ears,” June seconded, taking a swig from her flask. “I should be charging you by the mile.”

Princess huffed at her.

“I’m joking, Princess,” June said. “Lighten up.”

“I’ll light _you_ up,” Princess muttered, stomping back and jumping up into Nyla’s saddle again.

June really, really liked her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: oh, Bato- this'll be a nice, short chapter!  
> this fic: *laughs in pack dynamics*


	12. Zuko Mediates By Yelling Louder

Bato found Zuko again after breakfast, while he was sitting with Appa and Momo and watching Aang and Katara practice their waterbending. It looked like more fun than Zuko’s firebending lessons had been before Father put a stop to them. Hopefully whatever master they found in the Northern Water Tribe wouldn’t ruin that for them.

Bato invited himself to sit on Appa’s tail, placing him lower than Zuko’s own perch on the lip of Appa’s saddle, close enough to talk but too far away to easily grab him.

“I wanted to apologize,” Bato said. “Again.”

“You really don’t have to,” Zuko assured him. Again.

“I wish I could believe that,” Bato said with a sigh. “I don’t even know _why_ I attacked you like that.”

“Because I’m Fire Nation,” Zuko told him once again. “I’ve known soldiers who react the same way to green eyes and earthquakes. Who had to leave the city because heavy carts on paved roads sound too much like a rockslide if they aren’t expecting it, who couldn’t leave their houses some days because wood floors are trustworthy but bare dirt isn’t. There was one alpha who avoided the beach because the way sand shifts underfoot made him think of being pulled under by earthbenders.” He closed his eyes and forced his breathing to stay steady. “I used to flinch every time a candle flickered in the corner of my eye or anyone but Azula bent fire around me.”

“After...” Bato started, but trailed off into silence. Zuko didn’t need to open his eyes to know where Bato’s had strayed, so he nodded.

“It was almost a year before I could stand the smell of cooked meat,” he continued. “I still sometimes freeze up if any alpha but Azula raises their voice or moves their hands too quickly around me.”

“How old were you?” Bato asked, his voice soft and rough, like he didn’t want to know the answer but had to ask regardless.

“Thirteen.”

Bato swore, but he did it quietly. Zuko appreciated that.

“It’s like the wounds on our bodies leave wounds in our minds, too,” he explained, opening his eyes again. “We suffer, and when something happens that reminds us of it, our minds shut down except for trying to keep it from happening again. Someone Fire Nation burned you; you saw someone Fire Nation, and attacked me before you could be burned again. It’s as simple as that.”

“How in the world does a child like you know so much about this?”

Zuko smiled bitterly. “It’s an omega’s duty,” he said, “to provide comfort and support to those around them. I think Father made a game of it with himself, finding the most damaged alphas at court and throwing them at me every time Azula wasn’t around to catch him at it.”

“Court?” Bato repeated, frowning.

Zuko turned toward him, confused by his confusion for a moment. He wasn’t used to not being recognized, but then he mostly interacted with people who’d been told of his identity ahead of time, people who only knew him through knowing Azula, or Fire Nation citizens. He thought about attempting to deflect or lie, but Sokka and Katara trusted Bato, and they both knew who would win if it came to a serious fight between them.

(Hint: it wouldn’t be Bato.)

“My father is Fire Lord Ozai,” he said. “My alpha is my sister, Crown Princess Azula.”

Bato stiffened his breath coming slightly faster. Zuko didn’t let himself tense in response, keeping his own breathing shallow and even.

“Why would you tell me this?”

“Sokka trusts you.”

“And Sokka’s trust means so much to you?”

“I trust Sokka more than any alpha except Azula,” Zuko replied without hesitating.

“Even though he’s Water Tribe?”

“It was a Fire Nation alpha who burned half my face off.”

Bato frowned, seeming to struggle with himself for a long moment, then took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I see,” was all he said, but he didn’t attack Zuko, so there was that, at least.

They sat in silence that wasn’t quite tense and not entirely uncomfortable, before Bato stood and left, saying something about Sokka being old enough for his manhood trials. Zuko watched as he collected Sokka and gathered up Aang and Katara.

He didn’t come back for Zuko. Zuko understood. He wasn’t Water Tribe, wasn’t pack, and Bato didn’t trust him. Zuko was used to mistrust.

He vastly preferred it to hostility.

* * *

Rock dodging went well.

The aftermath did not.

They returned to the abbey with Sokka furious, Katara angry and torn, Aang in a cloud of shame, and Bato with no idea how to handle the situation.

Zuko met them at the gate, picking up on the tension immediately. “What happened?” he asked.

“What happened is that Aang is a liar,” Sokka snapped, shoving rudely past Zuko. “Looks like we’re gonna be seeing Dad after all. You should probably stay with Aang.”

“Aang’s not going with you?”

“What part of _Aang is a liar_ didn’t you hear?” Sokka demanded, voice rising slightly in anger.

Zuko stiffened but didn’t actually flinch. “The part where that means you’re leaving him behind,” he snapped right back.

“How can we possibly travel with him if we can’t trust him?”

“You can’t just leave him, he’s part of your pack!”

“That doesn’t mean we have to forgive him!”

“No, it means you can’t just _abandon him_ the first time he screws up!” Zuko yelled at the top of his very considerable lungs. “At least have the decency to break from him properly first!”

Sokka winced. So did Katara.

“You don’t abandon pack,” Zuko said at a much lower volume but with just as much intensity. “If you care enough to not break from him, you care enough to _work this out_.”

Sokka and Katara exchanged a look, both glancing at where Aang stood with his head bowed, the smudged remains of the Mark of the Trusted still on his forehead.

“Zuko’s right,” Katara said after a moment. “You know he is, Sokka. Aang’s still pack, we can’t just leave him.”

Sokka scowled, but Bato knew the boy (young man; he’d passed his trials, Bato’s thoughts would just have to catch up) well enough to tell he was wavering, the initial grip of his anger lessening slightly now that his momentum had been slowed.

“Okay,” he said. “Okay, fine. Pack meeting, now.”

Aang finally looked up, hope and remorse warring for control of his expression, and he trotted obediently after Sokka and Katara as they moved further away for a bit of privacy.

Zuko watched them for a moment, then sighed, relaxing slightly once it became obvious the others were actually talking.

“You handled that very well,” Bato said, coming to stand next to him, careful to stand on his good side.

“I don’t know why I got so _angry_ ,” Zuko confessed with a frustrated groan. “This isn’t even my pack.”

“You’re an omega,” Bato said sympathetically. “Faced with a pack in turmoil, with no omega of their own to keep the peace. It’s only natural for you to step in.”

Zuko groaned again. “Great. Is this going to happen often?”

“If you mean are you going to try and mediate for every omega-less pack you come across, no,” he assured the boy, smiling. “Only packs you’ve spent time around and become comfortable with.”

“Thank Agni for that.”

“Do you not spend a lot of time around omega-less packs?”

“I don’t spend a lot of time around packs, period,” Zuko corrected. “Great-Grandfather never _officially_ outlawed them, but...” he shrugged. “I think Azula and I were the only pack in Caldera. We were definitely the only pack in the palace. We didn’t even have anyone to teach us how to _be_ a pack. I have no idea what I’m doing most of the time.”

“You’re a kind-hearted boy, Zuko,” Bato said. “That’s what matters most. You have inner strength and a gentleness that speaks well of your pack alpha.”

Zuko looked up, surprise written plainly across his face. “It does?”

Bato nodded. “Your alpha must have worked hard to protect and care for you, to let you remain so soft.”

The words should have felt fake on his lips, tasted like ashes on his tongue. The idea of praising a Fire Nation alpha should have been repulsive to him. But for an omega to have grown up in a rat-viper nest where packs were shunned and he himself had suffered so greatly, yet still be so kind? He couldn’t deny the truth of his own words.

Maybe, just maybe, there was hope for a world without war in it. Bato sincerely hoped so.

* * *

They finally caught up to Zuzu at a simple country abbey on the coast. The Avatar and his little friends were there, along with a grown alpha in blue who had the audacity to place himself between Azula and her omega as if he thought she was a _danger_ to Zuko.

Zuko ducked under the man’s arm as Azula dismounted, running forward to sweep her up in a hug. He was wearing slightly too-small blue clothing with visible bruises and injuries that made a growl try to rumble up through her chest, but she squashed it in favor of hugging him back.

“I missed you so much, La-la,” he whispered, the old nickname doing more to prove his sincerity than anything else; he hardly ever called her that anymore.

“You’re the one who snuck out, dum-dum,” she reminded him. “Put me down.”

“No,” Zuko said, tightening his arms. “I can’t wander off if I’m carrying you.”

“Put me down if you want your collar back.”

Zuko didn’t drop her, but he did put her down nearly fast enough to count. Azula smiled, pulling his collar out of her pocket. Zuko bowed his head without being told, holding his hair out of the way for her to settle the collar back in place where it belonged.

“I have half a mind to not give you back the key,” she threatened, hands lingering on the back of his neck once the collar was secured. “It would serve you right.”

“It really would,” he agreed, smiling. “I’m so sorry, Azula.”

“You’d better be,” she said, smiling back.

“Oh, do you happen to have that blue necklace on you? It’s Katara’s, I promised to get it back for her.”

“She kidnapped you,” Azula said, crossing her arms. “She gets nothing.”

“I agreed to go with them instead of risking trying to sneak past Zhao,” he disagreed. “Please, Azula? It’s important to her. Like my collar is to me.”

Azula caved immediately, but pretended to consider it for a long moment before handing it over to him. “Go say good-bye to your little friends,” she said.

“Thanks, Azula,” he said, kissing her cheek and going back to the Avatar’s group.

They met him halfway, carrying his things. The Water Tribe girl took back her necklace and hugged Zuko with the ease of someone who’d done it before. They were far enough away that Azula let herself have a small possessive growl. Just one.

Then the girl let Zuko go and hurried up to Azula and _hugged her_ and Azula’s brain _may_ have stopped working for a minute there. People did not _hug_ her.

People who weren’t Zuko and Ty Lee, anyway.

“Thank you so much,” the girl said, letting her go. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“You’re welcome, peasant,” Azula said, making a show of brushing her clothing off.

“Azula please don’t antagonize her,” Zuko said, laughing, as the rest of the group joined them, including the adult alpha.

Azula grabbed Zuko’s wrist and pulled him close, wrapping a possessive arm around him and glaring at the warrior, making certain he knew just whose omega Zuko was. To her surprise, he simply smiled and nodded once at her.

“Thank you, Zuko, for all you’ve done for us,” he said. “Be well.”

“You, too, Bato.”

The Avatar handed Zuko his things and hugged him. The Water Tribe boy stepped forward like he intended to hug Zuko, then glanced at Azula and took a much larger step back, waving instead.

“You can give me my stuff back when you catch up to us next, I guess,” he said. “It’s been real, Zukes.”

“Thanks, Sokka,” Zuko said, and- was he _blushing_ ? Oh, her birthday had come early! She’d expected to have to wait _much_ longer to get him back for all those digs about Crewman Teruko!

“We have a long trip back, Zuzu,” Azula said, tugging him back toward Nyla. “Say good-bye.”

“Good-bye,” Zuko said obediently, finally mounting the beast so Azula could climb up behind him.

While Azula and Zuko got settled, June leaned forward in Nyla’s saddle, smiling at Bato. “Hello there, handsome,” she purred. “Come here often?”

Bato’s face took on an interesting look of flattered/panicked/terrified. “No,” he replied. “Can’t say I do.”

“Then it must’ve been fate,” June decided, her smile taking on a knowing glint Azula had seen in plenty of mirrors. She was having fun. “We should get to know each other.”

“I would love to, but I have a prior commitment.”

“Too bad, handsome,” she said, sitting back with a mock-sigh. “I’ll just have to hunt you down later, I guess.” She uncoiled her whip and cracked it, driving Nyla into the air. “Until then!”

Azula politely waited until they were out of earshot to start cackling.

* * *

A tension he hadn’t even realized he’d been carrying dropped from Zuko’s shoulders as soon as he dismounted from June’s shirshu, feet once more on the deck of the _Arashi_ where they belonged. He made sure to thank both mount and rider before they left and headed back to their den to change.

He relaxed completely for the first time in days as he stepped through the door and realized he was _home_. It was a metal box stuffed full of soft things in an effort to make it comfortable, cramped and smaller than the private bathhouses in the palace, but it was home.

Zuko stripped out of his borrowed clothing and redressed himself in proper red, folding up the little pile of blue and setting it aside to be washed later.

Azula joined him shortly, smiling like a barn owlcat who’d just spotted a fat sparrowmouse in the straw.

“What’s that look for?” he asked.

“So,” she said, smile turning into an outright grin. “Blue eyes do it for you? Or is it the boomerang?”

“How did- I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he lied - badly - blushing furiously despite his best efforts.

Azula snickered, poking him in the cheek. “I know my omega, Zuzu,” she said. “I know what it means when he starts looking sunburned around cute alpha boys. You couldn’t have picked someone a little closer to home?”

“It’s not like I’ve spent much time with male alphas who are also decent human beings and even _vaguely_ close to my age!” he protested. “You’re lucky I didn’t wind up with a crush on Jee!”

“You say that like you don’t _want_ to have a crush on Jee.”

“ _Jee_ doesn’t want me to have a crush on Jee. The only person who wants me to have a crush on Jee is you, because it would give you something new to threaten him over.”

Azula held her hands up in a ‘you caught me!’ gesture, smiling. “You’re right,” she said. “This is much better. I can’t threaten to declare war on Jee if he behaves inappropriately toward you.”

“Azula, we’re already at war with the Water Tribes,” he reminded her. “You can’t declare double war on them.”

“Watch me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much action but boy howdy did people have a lot to talk about in this chapter!
> 
> (Chapter title swiped from ShippingTrash4Life's comment because it was too perfect to not use when I decided my chapters needed names.)
> 
> But oh man y'all the North Pole is looming. Zhao's coming back. Canon's days with us are numbered. Here we go y'all. Oh, boy.


	13. Katara Fights The Patriarchy (And Also Pakku)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for this chapter: first scene contains Azula and Zuko kissing as a way to sell the 'actually incest' cover story. It's brief, but it's in there, so heads up and all that.

They spent a pleasant week playing a casual game of owlcat and sparrowmouse along the northern part of the continent with Aang, Sokka, and Katara. Zuko managed to return Sokka’s things to him and have a few quick conversations with Katara while they sparred; she seemed very put out that Dekku was still refusing to continue his cooking education, and even offered to let herself be taken prisoner to yell at him for Zuko, which was touching.

Zuko managed to talk her out of it. The logistics of getting her back to her pack would have been a headache.

They wound up losing their trail in the northeast forest, mainly because Zhao finally caught up to them there and wound up lighting a fair bit of said forest on fire. Azula agreed to stay in the area for an extra day, to see what the locals needed and make sure it would be sent to them. Unfortunately, this left them in the area long enough for Zhao to decide to pay them a visit.

Azula had to walk a fine line between ‘cocky, impulsive teen who can be manipulated with effort’ and ‘competent royal firebender too powerful to challenge directly’, so they always staged their meetings with Zhao carefully. Azula always met Zhao in the _Arashi_ ’s wardroom in full armor lounging on one of the low couches, with a snack on hand and a pot of tea brewing, as if she spent all her time there instead of on the bridge actually commanding her ship. Zuko was always with her, dressed in robes rather than armor and unarmed, hair unbound, seated properly next to Azula, usually being pressed into service as a back- or footrest.

When Zhao was escorted to the wardroom this time, Azula had chosen to lean against the armrest with a bowl of peeled lychee nuts beside her and her legs draped over Zuko’s lap.

“Admiral,” she said in greeting, managing to make his rank sound almost like an insult. “Please, have a seat. You’re just in time for tea.”

Zhao bowed and sat opposite her. “Thank you, Princess Azula,” he said. “Prince Zuko. I trust you’re doing well?”

“Oh, Zuzu is fine,” Azula answered for him, waving a hand dismissively and swinging her feet down to the floor. “Be a dear and pour the tea for us, will you, Zuzu?” She smiled at Zhao. “It’s so nice to have someone versed in the… softer arts along. I’d be miserable without him.”

Zuko shifted forward, lifting the teapot and carefully pouring three cups, setting one in front of Azula first before serving Zhao’s, managing to pull away before Zhao could engineer an ‘accidental’ touch.

Azula lifted her cup and smiled. “Drink up, Admiral,” she said. “White dragon. I thought I’d see what all the fuss was about. I assume this will be your first time sampling it as well?”

Zhao’s expression tightened slightly, as did his hand on his cup. “Yes,” was all he said, seething slightly at such a bold display of the wealth and connections of the royal family, to purchase and drink white dragon tea just because she felt like it.

They drank the first few sips in silence. It was good, but Zuko didn’t think it was all that spectacular. At the end of the day, it was just hot leaf juice.

Azula reclined once more, cup in hand, idly throwing one leg back over Zuko’s lap.

“How has life been treating you, Admiral?” she asked, smirking. “I hear you’ve been keeping busy: something about the Avatar destroying a Fire’s Day Festival, and you being had by a washed-up deserter?”

Zhao was too disciplined to scowl at her, but not disciplined enough to hide the fact that he wanted to.

Azula smirked wider, reaching up to run her fingers through Zuko’s hair. He leaned into the touch slightly, taking comfort in the contact and the fact that Azula was there to stand between him and Zhao. The man made him uncomfortable, in a way his being an alpha alone couldn’t account for. There was a strange hunger in the way he looked at Zuko, a sort of dark and angry _want_ , and Zuko wasn’t ashamed to admit that it scared him.

Zhao’s eyes followed Azula’s hand, and his expression turned slightly stormy. “Jeong Jeong the Deserter is a formidable opponent, Princess,” he said tightly. “Paired with the Avatar, even a firebender of your caliber might face difficulty.”

“Of course,” Azula said dismissively. “One can hardly fault you for being simply average, I suppose.”

Zhao’s expression edged into thunderous for a moment before he wrestled it back under control. “How very kind of you.”

Azula hummed, still smiling. “Pleasant as this chat is, Admiral, I doubt you dropped by to discuss your past failures.”

“Of course not. I’ve obtained permission to lead a small expedition at the North Pole; I thought you might like to come along.”

“Why would I want to do that?”

“Intelligence at this time indicates that the Avatar’s ultimate destination is the Northern Water Tribe. He will need a waterbending instructor, and there are none to be found at the South Pole.”

Azula hummed agreeably, sipping her tea. “I suppose that’s true,” she allowed.

“It would also be far safer for Prince Zuko,” Zhao added. “The Water Tribes are notorious for their savagery, after all, and I’m certain they would relish the chance to harm that which is yours. He would be far better protected in the middle of a fleet than on a lone warship, however grand.”

Zuko kept his expression schooled, though he couldn’t help but tense slightly with the overwhelming urge to punch Zhao in the face. As if the slimy skunk-weasel had room to be calling anyone else _savage_ when they were only still here because he’d started a forest fire that threatened six separate villages and would severely impact the colony’s income, considering their main export was lumber. If Sokka and Katara were any indication, the Water Tribes were far more civilized than Zhao could ever hope to be.

Given his slight smirk, Zhao probably mistook his anger for fear. His biggest downfall was only seeing what he wanted to.

“I’ll consider your generous offer, Admiral,” Azula said at length, setting down her cup. “I’m certain you still have preparations to make.”

“Princess-”

“Admiral, I am _trying_ to be delicate,” Azula interrupted. “I want you to leave.”

She sat up slightly, tightening her grip on Zuko’s hair and using it to pull him down, kissing him on the lips. Zuko closed his eyes and kissed back, letting Azula pretend to devour him. This was a part he’d played almost daily for years, and he was very good at it. He didn’t enjoy it, but no one would be able to tell by watching him. He couldn’t lie very well, but that extended only as far as the spoken word: in all other ways, Zuko was a master actor. Even his scent could lie better than his words, after so much practice.

Azula let him breathe, pulling him close against her, bodies flush in a way that was in no way fraternal, Zuko breathing into the crook of her neck with slightly flushed cheeks. “My omega and I,” she informed Zhao, who watched with open jealousy, “would like to be _alone_.”

“Forgive the intrusion, Princess,” Zhao ground out, standing and giving her a perfunctory bow before spinning on his heel and storming out without waiting for a dismissal.

Azula watched him go, waiting until his footsteps left earshot, then sighed, relaxing her hold on Zuko.

“I detest that man,” she said.

“You and me both,” Zuko agreed quietly, sitting up properly once more. “What does he really want?”

Azula sighed. “The same thing he’s always wanted, Zuzu: power. Don’t worry; he won’t get any from us.”

“Of course not. The question is, do we go along with this power grab?”

“What do you think?”

Zuko sighed. “Well, he’s not wrong: it’s pretty obvious where they’re headed and why. But I don’t think that’s all that’s behind this campaign. I don’t think it’s even the main reason.”

“Oh?” Azula asked, smiling. “What makes you say that?”

“Because if his goal was to capture Aang, why would he deliberately wait until he was inside a fortified city and receiving additional training? No, there’s something else going on here, something to do with Agna Qel’a itself. There’s something in the city he wants.”

“The question is what,” Azula agreed, finishing her tea. “The answer...”

“We’ll have the whole trip north to fire ferret it out, I guess.”

* * *

Princess Azula called an officers’ meeting on the bridge the day after Zhao’s initial visit to the _Arashi_ , for all officers. She was standing before the map table with her hands folded behind her, the very picture of an experienced commander in her bearing, as they filed in and took up their places around the table. Next to her, the Admiral looked unbecomingly smug and not nearly as professional.

Prince Zuko was notably absent. He usually sat in on officers’ meetings, shadowing Princess Azula around the ship and occasionally offering opinions or asking questions that proved that he would have made a decent heir to the throne himself, had he been anything but an omega. His absence probably had something to do with Zhao’s presence, if Jee were to hazard a guess; only an idiot could miss Zhao’s obvious and inappropriate lusting after the sixteen-year-old prince, and Princess Azula was both far from an idiot and very protective of her brother.

Jee saluted the pair of them and took his place opposite Azula, years of practice allowing him to not react to the sneer Zhao shot him to accompany Princess Azula’s nod.

“Thank you all for your promptness,” Princess Azula said. “There has been a slight change in our plans: Admiral Zhao has generously offered to allow us to travel to the North Pole with his fleet, where we will - Agni willing - intercept the Avatar.”

Several of the younger officers looked startled. Jee kept his surprise strictly internal.

“To be clear,” Princess Azula continued, moving her hands to rest them on the edge of the map table, leaning forward slightly, “we are not joining Admiral Zhao’s fleet. We are simply accompanying him. At this time, there is no plan for us to take part in his mission; we have our own to complete.”

Zhao’s smugness soured slightly, indicating he wasn’t happy about that. But the princess outranked him and was by far the stronger of the two, and he had no position from which to countermand any order she gave her own crew. It was a neat little trap she’d laid for the overbearing rat-viper, and one he had no way of getting around. Jee was starting to think he could really come to respect the girl.

“We will be leaving to join the fleet tomorrow morning. All business should be concluded by tonight. Lieutenant Jee, will we need to resupply?”

Jee straightened to attention. “No, sir: our last resupply should hold fine until the rendezvous.”

Azula nodded, turning slightly to question Genji about the welfare of the mounts and hawks aboard. By the time she requested Hanako’s report on the state of the engines, Zhao was bored enough to excuse himself.

Azula politely listened until Hanako had finished, then glanced at Kyo, who signalled that Zhao had indeed left the ship. Then she closed her eyes for a moment, as if gathering her thoughts.

“Zuko trusts you,” she told them. “I do not.” She opened her eyes again, pinning Jee with the weight of her molten gold stare. “So understand the magnitude of what I am about to say to you: _I am trusting you to keep Zuko safe_.”

Jee was not the only one to react with surprise to that.

“I’ll be busy keeping Zhao from doing anything I’ll be forced to make him regret, and I cannot do that and keep him away from Zuko at the same time. I am, against my better judgment and with great reluctance, passing along the job of guarding my omega to you. Do not make me regret this decision, or I will teach you oceans of new meaning to the word. Am I understood?”

Jee met her eyes squarely, alpha to alpha, and nodded once. “Understood, sir,” he said, in a voice that miraculously didn’t waver at all.

Azula smiled, sharply but without malice. “It’s a comfort to have such dependable subordinates,” she remarked, straightening. “I’ll leave you to discuss it. Be sure to let Zuko know your plans.”

“Yes, sir,” Jee said, saluting her.

Princess Azula nodded once at those assembled and left.

“That girl is going to be one hell of a Fire Lord,” Hanako said into the silence the princess left in her wake.

Jee couldn’t help but agree.

* * *

The Northern Water Tribe did not throw them a party, technically, but they did add them on to the reasons for the party they were already planning, which was nice of them.

One of the pre-existing reasons for partying was the birthday of the Northern Water Tribe’s princess, Yue. She was a polite, beautiful alpha with a soft voice, bright eyes, and cascades of pure white hair, and in another life, Sokka might have fallen hard for her. In a life where he hadn’t spent so much time around Zuko, hadn’t gotten to know him, where Zuko had been harder or more ruthless, where Sokka wasn’t already gone on the guy, Yue would have been everything Sokka could possibly want.

But that was in another life. In this life, he sat next to Yue most of the night, getting to know her, and knew deep in his bones that Yue was going to be one of the best friends he’d ever have, possibly like another sister to him, and nothing else.

Yue asked a lot of questions about the South Pole, about their travels, about people they’d met. She was obviously lonely, and Sokka was happy to keep her company, because again: potential new sister.

“You said you’ve met the Fire Princess many times,” Yue noted, shifting a bit closer to Sokka and glancing surreptitiously at her father. “What’s she like?”

“Um… crazy?” Sokka replied, shrugging. “Mostly she just throws fire at us. Sometimes she rants about the greatness of the Fire Nation, but usually it’s just fire. She’s kind of mean.”

Katara snorted into her drink.

“She is!” Sokka insisted. “Zuko’s much nicer.”

Katara snorted into her drink louder.

“Who’s Zuko?”

“Princess Azula’s older brother,” Katara answered. “Of course he’s _nicer_ , he’s an omega.”

“I didn’t know she had a brother,” Yue remarked, leaning forward over Sokka’s lap to speak to Katara, and this was apparently what having two sisters was like. “You’ve met him, too?”

Katara nodded. “Princess Azula takes him everywhere with her. They’re very close.”

“I see,” Yue said. “What’s he like?”

“Oh, you should definitely direct that one to Sokka,” Katara said, grinning. “He’ll be happy to tell you _all about_ Prince Zuko.”

“Oh?” Yue asked, turning her big crystal-blue eyes on Sokka, and he caught the gleam of mischief in them. This was _absolutely_ what having two sisters was like, and he was having second thoughts about the whole affair.

“Prince Zuko is a very good fighter and a not-bad person,” Sokka said, doing his valiant best not to blush. “I like him a normal amount.”

Katara and Yue both burst into giggles, and Sokka lost his battle with that blush, but it was okay. He was among friends.

* * *

Katara was furious. Like, beyond angry and into full-on righteous _fury_. She was absolutely ready to fistfight a Great Spirit on the tundra, and she didn’t particularly care which Great Spirit it was.

First, they’d tried to dictate to her what she was and wasn’t allowed to do with her own bending, which was just ridiculous. If she wanted to fight, she should be allowed to fight! She needed to be able to protect her pack, and no, so-called-Master Pakku, she was _not_ going to leave that burden up to Sokka! Just because Sokka was a boy and an alpha did not mean Katara needed him to protect her! Sokka was the brains and she was the brawn, that was how their pack worked!

Then, they’d told her she couldn’t even observe them teaching Aang! An unpresented member of her pack, and she wasn’t even allowed to watch him train! Pakku claimed it was an insult to suggest he needed someone to supervise his classes, but Katara knew it was just because Pakku was afraid she’d be able to learn, anyway, even without Pakku taking her as a student.

(Yes, she could have, and that had actually been the plan, but still.)

But this? This was unforgivable.

Now Pakku stood before Chief Arnook and his council and claimed he had the right to dictate whether or not Aang - a member of her own pack - was allowed to teach her, and that was it. Enough was enough.

“Perhaps,” Arnook said, “an apology might smooth this whole affair over.”

“That’s a great idea!” Katara said brightly, turning expectantly to Pakku. “Well?”

Pakku glared down at her. “You misunderstand, little girl,” he said. “ _You_ are meant to apologize to _me_.”

Katara scowled at him. “Me?” she asked. “Apologize to you? Oh, no. No, _Master_ Pakku.” The ice underfoot rumbled and shuddered with the strength of her rage, minute cracks radiating outward from where she stood. “I refuse! An outsider like you has _no_ right to decide what my packmates teach me or when!” The cracks widened, crawling up the pillars and walls. “I am not in the wrong, and I refuse!”

Pakku looked down at her with disdain, unmoved. A decorative ice urn shattered somewhere behind her.

“I guess the Fire Nation aren’t the only ones who’ve lost sight of what _pack_ means,” she said, throwing it down like a gauntlet on the ice in front of him. “I’ll be waiting outside, if you’re man enough to fight me.”

She spun on her heel, spiralling ridges crawling across the ice around her as she stormed outside. Her pack followed her.

“Katara, are you crazy?” Sokka demanded. “There’s no way you can beat him!”

“I know,” Katara snapped, shedding her anorak and throwing it at him. “I don’t care.”

Pakku stepped outside. The ice crackled in response to her anger as he descended the steps and walked right by her, as if she was beneath his notice.

“Hey!” she yelled, liquifying a spike of ice into a water whip. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Pakku continued to ignore her, right up until her whip caught him square in the back of the head. Then he turned and faced her.

“You want to learn to fight so badly?” he asked. “Then study closely!”

The amount of water he called up was far more than Katara had ever managed to control before, but she was undeterred. She knew she was going to lose this fight, but she also knew she had to fight, anyway. She had to force Pakku to see what she was made of, that she wasn’t some meek little girl he could dismiss and order around. She had to make him pay for trying to force his will on her pack.

He threw the water at her like a battering ram, knocking her back, then spun it into a ring around them, using it to herd her closer. It had nothing on Azula’s rings of fire. She growled, reaching out and wresting control of it from him, sending it back into the ice.

She charged him again, and he bent a shield of ice. She rode up it like a wave, landing behind him, unsteadily falling to one knee. He unfroze the ramp as she climbed to her feet. She twisted her heels into the ice, sending it crawling up her ankles and calves, rooting herself.

He threw the water at her again. Her footholds didn’t so much as crack. She broke his control again, shattered the wave into a thousand shards of ice and sent it back. A move she’d been trying to create based on Zuko’s fire darts.

Pakku melted them into harmless rain. She was close enough to see his scowl. He was close enough to see her answering smile.

She released her feet and jumped down. Rushed him once more. Again he made a shield. She dismissed it for him.

She closed with him. Left the water out of it, fought him hand-to-hand. He dodged, still scowling. Called up a wave that sent her flying into one of the open pools. She controlled the tumble. Landed on her feet, waist-deep in water.

“You can’t knock me down,” she informed him, launching herself into the air on a column of ice. Split the column into discs, razor-thin. Launched them at him like boomerangs. He dodged or blocked them all, but only barely.

He sent waves to take her feet out from under her. She controlled the fall. Got back up.

He raised walls of ice. She broke them down.

She made waves of her own. He froze them.

She attacked. He defended.

He attacked. She endured.

They tore up the courtyard. Jagged ice and walls of water. Melted columns. Froze them again in new shapes.

The fight dragged on. Katara started to feel winded.

“Tired, little girl?” Pakku asked. First smirk since she broke his water ring.

“Never,” Katara panted, not bothering to shove the hair from her eyes.

“Give up while you still can.”

“Apologize to my pack first.”

He scowled at her again. She smirked back.

He won in the end. He was always going to. He was a Master.

But she won in the end, too. She stayed on her feet, even when he finally beat her. He didn’t make her admit defeat. He didn’t prove he was stronger than her. He didn’t knock her down. He trapped her instead, kept her from moving to keep her from bending, and stood over her with his arms crossed and a hint of respect in his eyes.

“Do you yield?” he asked.

“Have you apologized yet?” she shot back.

He studied her a moment more, then stepped back and released the ice around her.

“You may study alongside your packmate,” he said. “Will that suffice?”

Katara glared at him, bending the excess water off herself and fighting her hair into a basic tail, then nodded once. To a man like Pakku, actions obviously mattered more than words; changing his mind was the same as admitting he was wrong, and was worth way more than an empty ‘sorry’.

Aang cheered, vaulting down the steps and throwing himself into Katara’s arms. “We get to be waterbending buddies!”

Sokka followed a lot slower, smiling, still carrying Katara’s anorak and for some reason dripping wet. He stopped by Pakku, exchanging a few quiet words, then stooped to pick up Katara’s necklace before walking the rest of the way over.

“Nice going, sis,” he said.

“Thanks,” she replied, reclaiming their necklace. “Do you think Azula and Zuko will be impressed?”

“Maybe don’t advertise the fact that you wanna impress those two?” Sokka suggested, sighing. “And yes, they will be. She’ll probably pretend she isn’t though.”

“Probably,” Katara agreed, laughing. That was fine; Azula could pretend to not be impressed all she wanted. Katara couldn’t wait to tell them either way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for vanishing, but I did kinda warn you guys not to get too used to the update schedule. I lost my stride for a bit, but hopefully I've got it back now, and hopefully this super long chapter makes up for it. ~~3900 words y'all I'm heckin' dead.~~


	14. Zhao Is Just An Absolute Creep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for this chapter for Zhao being his creepy creepy self. Ugh. I can't wait until it's time to kill him off.

The next several days were the best of Katara’s life. Pakku wasn’t going easy on her, and she was excelling at everything he gave her. She was even studying with the healers after Pakku’s morning classes, and spending as much of her spare time as Sokka and Aang would let her practicing. She’d dreamed of this her whole life, and she wasn’t about to waste a single minute of it.

She had the practice field to herself that afternoon. She’d been practicing her forms long enough that she’d shed her anorak, making sure she had everything Pakku had covered that morning down perfectly, and now she’d moved on to experimenting. She was going to get this flying ice dagger trick right if it killed her.

“Pupil Katara.”

Katara yelped, jumping slightly, and her current dagger swarm burst into a fine mist around her as she whirled around. “Master Pakku, you scared me!”

“That was not my intent,” Pakku assured her, coming to stand beside her and eyeing the _very_ hole-y target in front of her. “You used that move during our fight, I believe,” he noted. “I can’t say I’m familiar with it.”

“It’s kind of a new thing,” Katara explained. “I’ve been working on it for a while.” She bit her lip, glancing up at him out of the corner of her eye. “It’s based on a firebending move Prince Zuko uses,” she admitted.

Pakku looked down at her, raising an eyebrow. “Oh?” he said neutrally.

“We fought Princess Azula and Prince Zuko a lot on our way north,” she explained. “Prince Zuko doesn’t really bend like most firebenders I’ve seen. He does this thing where he makes a bunch of little darts out of fire -” she called up a globe of water and bristled it into ice, separating it into shards “- and throws them like daggers.” She threw her swarm of ice shards at the target. Only about half of them hit, the rest falling harmlessly to the ground long before they reached it. “But I can’t figure out how to keep control of all my ice knives at once, or how to make them move independently like he does.”

Pakku nodded. “Show me again.”

She obeyed, demonstrating what she had of the technique three more times before Pakku held up a hand, frowning thoughtfully.

“I see one of the problems,” he said, mimicking the stances without actually bending the water. “You begin to lose control here” - he shifted as she had, pausing - “because you move too quickly. You push, but do not allow the water to pull. Slow your movements and be mindful of the flow.”

Katara nodded, running through it one more time, focusing on slowing down, omitting the quick punch Zuko used entirely in favor of a more fluid flick of her arm. Not all of her shards _hit_ the target this time, but all of them _reached_ it for once.

“ _Yes!_ ” she cheered, throwing her hands in the air and beaming up at Pakku, who actually smiled down at her for a brief moment before it melted into a frown.

“That necklace,” he said, and Katara automatically reached up to touch it. “I know that necklace.”

“You do?”

“I carved that necklace sixty years ago,” he said. “For the love of my life. For Kanna.”

“Gran-Gran was supposed to marry _you_?” Katara asked.

Pakku smiled, almost wistfully. “I suppose if any girl could cross the globe just to force her way into my classes, it would be Kanna’s granddaughter,” he said. “How… how is she?”

Katara smiled back, and told him.

* * *

“Wait wait wait,” Sokka said, turning so he was walking backwards and could look Yue in the eye. “How in Tui’s name can you possibly just _not let_ people make packs?”

“Supervision, mainly,” Yue said, sighing. “It’s just considered unsafe to let children and teenagers form such abiding bonds at will.”

“Okay, but stuff happens,” Sokka insisted. “What do they do if someone _does_ make a pack when they’re,” he made a face of disbelief, “ _too young_?”

“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “If that does happen, I’m sure their parents deal with it privately.”

Sokka made another face and turned to walk the right way forward just in time to run into a snow pillar. “Ow.”

Yue giggled, but did catch him before he actually fell, which made her a better sister than Katara would be in this situation. “What about in the south? How old do you have to be to make a non-familial pack?”

“We don’t really have an age limit,” Sokka admitted, prodding his nose to make sure it wasn’t bleeding. “I think Dad and Bato were ten when they made their own pack?”

“That young?”

He nodded, having determined that his nose was fine. “Most people make their first independent pack around my age, I guess, but Dad’s always been ahead of the curve like that.”

“Wow,” Yue said, suitably impressed.

“Yeah, Dad’s pretty great,” Sokka agreed, grinning. “So if you’re old enough to get married, are you old enough to form new packbonds?”

Yue smiled. “I’m old enough to be betrothed,” she corrected. “I’m not old enough to marry for two more years. But yes, I’ll be allowed to form and join packs then.”

Sokka nodded. “Okay, so in two years do you wanna join the Bison-Back Pack? We’d love to have you.”

She laughed. “I’ll think about it.”

* * *

Agna Qel’a loomed on the horizon, and with it Zuko’s sense of dread. Azula was spending the bulk of her time interfering with and carefully undermining Zhao, which took her off the _Arashi_ most of the day, which left Zuko nothing to do but train and worry. She’d been up before dawn today, knowing that their time was running out, and hadn’t even bothered with breakfast before she left.

It was just past midday when a hawk arrived with an invitation from Zhao, addressed to Zuko alone, inviting him to Zhao’s ship for tea.

Normally, Zuko would never even entertain the idea. Right now, though, they were less than a day away from Zhao’s planned invasion, and they still had no idea what his actual plan was. This could be their last chance to find out before it was too late.

“I’m not sure this is a good idea, your Highness,” Kyo (Zuko’s babysitter for the day) spoke up quietly as they boarded Zhao’s vessel.

“We’re almost to the North Pole,” Zuko pointed out. “We need to know what he’s planning.”

“I understand that, your Highness,” Kyo said. “But you’re not the one Princess Azula will murder painfully if this goes wrong.”

Zuko sighed. “I was kidnapped by pirates on Jee’s watch and managed to talk Azula out of killing him,” he said. “I’m sure I can keep her from killing you for not locking me in a broom closet for my own good.”

Kyo sighed, too. “Yeah, she’d probably kill me even more if I did that,” he agreed. “It’s not like I actually have the authority to tell you no, anyway.”

“I promise I won’t let Azula kill you, no matter what happens,” Zuko said, smiling, as Zhao approached.

“Prince Zuko, welcome,” he said, lifting one of Zuko’s hands and kissing his knuckles in a very forward display for a man who knew who Zuko’s alpha was. “You honor me with your presence.”

“You were good enough to invite me,” Zuko said, managing to take his hand back without making a scene.

Zhao smiled. “Indeed,” he said, directing Zuko to his own stateroom where a prepared pot of tea and two cups waited, closing the door in Kyo’s face.

Zuko almost objected, but he couldn’t risk ruining his chance at figuring out what Zhao was really after. “How is the preparation for the invasion going?” he asked politely, taking a seat.

“Quite well,” Zhao said, waiting expectantly until Zuko realized he intended for Zuko to serve him rather than the other way around. “If all goes well, we will be able to launch the first attack before nightfall tonight. I predict the walls will fall within three days.”

“I suppose the fall of the North would be a boon to your reputation,” Zuko allowed, trying to make himself sound disinterested as he poured Zhao’s tea and let the man brush their hands together when he took his cup.

Zhao regarded him for a long moment, setting down his cup without touching it. “Did you know, your Highness,” he asked, standing, “that the Great Spirits of the Ocean and the Moon exist in mortal form?”

“They do?” Zuko didn’t even have to feign interest there. “How do you know?”

Zhao smiled down at him. “In my youth, I happened upon an unusual library which contained wondrous scrolls not found elsewhere. One such scroll told of how the Moon and the Ocean had given up their spiritual forms for mortal ones, here in our world. I’ve recently managed to discover where they’ve been hiding.”

“In Agna Qel’a,” he guessed, going cold. If he knew Zhao as well as he thought he did… “That’s why you’re attacking the city.”

Zhao smiled wider. “I always knew you had a keen mind, Zuko,” he said. “Yes: they are somewhere in that city. I’m going to find them, and deal with the waterbending problem once and for all.”

Zuko felt numb. “You’re going to kill the Moon.”

Zhao laughed, catching Zuko’s wrist in one hand and pulling him to his feet, wrapping the other arm around his waist. Zuko didn’t resist, still caught up in the horror of what Zhao seemed to be suggesting.

“No Moon, no waterbending,” Zhao said. “We’ll be able to crush what’s left of the Water Tribes and focus ourselves solely on the Earth Kingdom. We will finally conquer the entire world. Would Zhao the MoonSlayer be a fitting husband for you?”

“Father-” Surely Ozai wasn’t mad enough to go along with this. Surely even he had to see that murdering a Great Spirit would bring down the wrath of the entire Spirit World on the Fire Nation. Surely even Ozai wasn’t that unhinged, even if Zhao obviously was.

“The Fire Lord has blessed my mission,” Zhao informed him, smirking. “And, once I succeed, he will bless our betrothal.”

“But-” the Fire Nation was _made entirely of islands_ . They needed the Moon just as much as any waterbender. Not to mention, the Moon was the Ocean’s _mate:_ if Zhao succeeded, their entire nation would be drowned if the Ocean was feeling _kind_.

Zhao kissed him. Boldly, almost bruisingly. It was by far the worst kiss he’d ever had to endure, and the only other person who’d ever kissed him was his little sister.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head over it, Zuko,” he said, smirking down at him. “I’ll take care of everything. You just need to keep yourself pretty for the wedding night.”

Zuko nodded automatically. It was the right thing to do, because Zhao smiled wider and finally let him go with one final inappropriate squeeze.

“Hurry back, before Princess Azula misses you,” Zhao instructed. “I have an invasion to prepare for.”

Zuko nodded again, managing not to stumble his way out of the room. Kyo was still waiting, looking ready to jump out of his own skin with nerves, but he thankfully was smart enough not to try asking any questions just yet. They needed to get back to the safety of the _Arashi_ first.

* * *

“The Moon,” Azula repeated flatly.

Zuko nodded.

“He’s planning to kill _the Moon_.”

“My sentiments exactly,” Zuko said, sighing. “He said Father knew. That Father gave his blessing.”

Azula lifted one hand to her mouth, gnawing absently at her thumbnail, and glared out the porthole. “Unfortunately, he probably did. Father never has been able to think much past his own glory.”

“We have to stop him.”

“Of course we do, Zuzu: I’m not going to rule over a kingdom of the drowned once I murder Father with my bare hands for being such an idiot.”

She used to have a great deal of respect for her father. She used to hang on his every word and follow him like a shadow, basking in the crumbs of approval he scattered before her. When she’d been a naive little girl who hadn’t yet learned to think for herself, she would have thought this plan of Ozai and Zhao’s to be bold, daring, proof of their greatness. Now, she could see it for the pathetic glory-mongering of a pair of brain-dead idiots it was.

“Much as I would like to, I can’t just sink his ship with him still on it,” she admitted. “We don’t know who else is in on this ridiculous caper.”

“We have to do _something_ , Azula.”

“No, we don’t,” Azula corrected, dragging her eyes away from the circle of chill white and blue and turning to Zuko. “ _You_ do.”

Zuko was obviously surprised, but he sat straighter and gave her his full attention immediately, without bothering her with inane questions or protests.

“You need to get into the city,” she said. “Find your little friends and warn them. It’s too much to ask that you stay out of trouble, I know, but do try to keep yourself in one piece: incinerating a polar ice cap will take a lot of effort even for me, and I’d rather not have to do it.”

Zuko nodded, standing, and immediately folded her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him, breathing in his scent, growling softly at the hint of Zhao still clinging to him. One way or another, Zhao was going to die for touching her Zuzu.

“Go quickly,” she ordered. “Take care of yourself.”

“You, too, La-la,” he replied, squeezing her slightly before letting go.

She didn’t let herself watch him prepare. She didn’t let herself entertain the possibility that she might never see him again.

* * *

Standing under a fall of black snow was like standing in a waking nightmare, the air around him tinged grey by falling soot, muddying the ice and dusting Appa’s fur.

“What is this?” Yue asked, voice soft and wavering with fear.

“Soot,” he told her, his insides one giant knot of fear but his voice rock-steady like a pack alpha’s should be in a crisis. “It’s soot mixed with snow.”

“What does it mean?”

“It means the Fire Nation is on its way. And from the looks of this stuff, I’d say there’s a lot of them.”

Yue shifted closer, her scent going deep and cool as she wrapped her hands around his arm, also shifting into crisis mode. He might not be her pack alpha, but he was a pack alpha she knew and respected, and she’d follow his lead.

He turned, patting Appa on the nose. “Find Aang,” he ordered. Appa groaned and lifted into the air, and Sokka shifted to take Yue’s hand, taking off for the nearest gate as fast as she could run.

Inside the city, panic ruled the streets, fueled as much by confusion as by fear. It had been decades since the last time the Northern Water Tribe had been attacked, and a lot of people obviously didn’t know what the black snow actually meant.

Yue took point on the streets, calling out for a clear path that her people gladly gave her, her expression grave but her scent strong and steady.

They reached the meeting hall where Chief Arnook would be a lot faster than Sokka expected; they beat Aang by a handful of seconds, even with his air magic to help him move. Katara, who would’ve known as soon as she saw the soot what was happening, beat them all and was waiting at the door.

Yue squeezed his hand once and let go, hurrying across the hall to her father’s side. Sokka, Aang, and Katara followed slower, finding a place near the edge of the crowd to sit.

Chief Arnook stood on the dias, facing his people.

“The day we have feared for so long has arrived,” he announced. “The Fire Nation is on our doorstep. It is with great sadness I call my family here before me, knowing well that some of these faces are about to vanish from our tribe, but they will never vanish from our hearts. Now, as we approach the battle for our existence, I call upon-”

The doors burst open and a lone figure dressed entirely in white flew through them, followed by a number of ice spears. They hit the ground in a tumble and rolled back to their feet, still running as the waterbenders chasing them made it inside, shouting about a spy.

Sokka and his pack were on their feet in an instant, Katara and Aang both rushing forward to help while Sokka moved automatically into position to protect Chief Arnook and Yue if it came down to it.

The presumable spy dodged the next volley of attacks, skidding across the frozen ground too fast for Katara’s attempts to trap their feet. They turned sharply about halfway through the cavern, ignoring Arnook and Yue and the waterbenders and even Aang to zero in on Sokka, sliding to a stop in front of him and pulling down the cloth covering most of their face.

“We need to talk,” Zuko said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's looking like two more chapters to wrap up the North Pole, then we leave canon at a random roadside gas station and go full speed into AU territory. It's gonna be great.


	15. The Northern Water Tribe Prepares For War

Sokka blinked and Zuko was halfway encased in ice.

This didn’t seem to surprise or even particularly bother Zuko. At worst he just looked mildly annoyed. Then again Zuko _always_ looked mildly annoyed when he was in work mode, so he might not even be that.

“Zuko, what-”

“We don’t have much time,” Zuko interrupted. “I need you to vouch for me.”

“Vouch?” Sokka repeated, a split second before one of the waterbenders caught up, forming an ice spear and holding the pointy end dangerously close to Zuko’s neck. “Vouch, right! It’s okay, he’s not a spy!”

The waterbender wielding the ice spear spared him a single glance of disbelief before refocusing on Zuko, who was doing that thing where he treated being violently attacked like a normal everyday thing not worth reacting to.

“Wait, is that _Zuko_?” Aang asked, bounding over with an excited grin. “Good to see you, buddy!”

“Zuko,” Pakku repeated. “As in Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation?”

“Yeah,” Aang said. “But it’s okay, he’s not a bad guy, I’m sure he didn’t sneak in for anything evil!”

“He is a member of the imperial house of the Fire Nation,” Pakku pointed out, like being born the Fire Lord’s kid was some sort of moral failing on Zuko’s part. “We would be fools to trust him.”

“Master Pakku, please,” Katara said. “We should at least hear him out, right?”

Pakku regarded her impassively, obviously unmoved.

“We don’t have time for this,” Zuko snapped, the ice around him starting to steam slightly. “The Moon Spirit is in danger!”

“What?” Sokka asked, bewildered, at the same time Arnook asked the same thing in a much different tone of voice.

Arnook descended the steps, coming to stand in front of Zuko. “Repeat that, young man,” he ordered.

“The Moon Spirit is in danger,” Zuko repeated, with much less agitation now that someone was actually paying attention. “Zhao, the man leading the invasion, he knows it’s here. He’s planning to kill it.”

From the corner of his eye, Sokka saw Yue recoil in horror, both hands flying to her mouth. Many other people in the room reacted similarly, and even Arnook flinched.

“You are certain?” Arnook asked.

Zuko nodded. “He told me himself.”

“Even if this is true,” one of the elders spoke up, “why would you betray your people by telling us?”

Zuko looked ready to start yelling for a moment, but apparently wrestled the urge down. “The Fire Nation is an _archipelago_ ,” he snapped, still rude but at least with his indoor voice. “A series of _islands_ in the middle of the _ocean_ . If Zhao even manages to _wound_ the Moon Spirit, what exactly do you think the Ocean Spirit is going to do to my people?”

Arnook nodded thoughtfully, as did the skeptical elder. “I see,” Arnook said. “If your words are truthful, then you have done our tribe a great service.”

Zuko nodded sharply, not bristling nearly as much as Sokka expected at the implication that he might be lying.

“Unfortunately, we cannot take you at your word in the heart of our city, after you so ably demonstrated your ability to get around our defenses. I apologize, Prince Zuko, but you must be confined until this invasion is repelled.”

Zuko nodded again, as if he’d been expecting that.

“But that’s not fair!” Aang protested. “Can’t he just stay with us?”

“Absolutely not,” Zuko, of all people, replied immediately. “You need to concentrate on stopping Zhao, you can’t waste time guarding me even if these people were stupid enough to let you.”

“But-” Aang repeated.

“No, Aang,” Zuko said firmly, and he was doing that fine-controlled soothing scent thing again, and it was both amazing and kind of alarming that he could do that while restrained in the middle of enemy territory. Most omegas in his place wouldn’t be calm enough to even try.

Aang pouted but didn’t protest a third time. Sokka didn’t protest a first time despite really wanting to, because he understood where Chief Arnook was coming from.

One of the waterbenders did some bendy moves, and the rough block of ice around Zuko melted, part disappearing into the floor and part forming into a pair of thick ice cuffs that covered Zuko’s hands and held them together in front of him. Sokka knew that this was just handing Zuko a really cold weapon, but he wasn’t gonna say anything. Zuko would probably only use it if he needed to.

“As long as we’ve got him, Chief,” one of the non-bender warriors said, in a voice that he probably thought was quiet but could probably be heard all the way at the back of the hall, “perhaps he can be… _persuaded_ to be of further help.”

“Whoa, whoa, no!” Sokka interrupted, shaking his head vigorously and waving both hands in the air for emphasis. “No, we are _not_ doing that! Firstly: _what is wrong with you?_ Secondly, have you ever heard of Princess Azula? Crown princess of the Fire Nation, can bend blue fire?”

“And lightning,” Zuko added.

“And lightning, which I didn’t even know was a thing, but that’s _terrifying_ , Zuko, thank you for informing us. Anyway, Princess Azula is on one of those ships out there, and this -” he paused to gesture grandly with both hands at Zuko ”- is her pack omega. If anything happens to him, I submit there’s a very real possibility she will _melt the North Pole._ ”

“I wouldn’t put it past her,” Katara agreed. “She’s very protective of him.”

“You have my word that no harm will come to Prince Zuko in our care,” Chief Arnook promised, pinning the warrior who’d been suggesting torture with a withering look. “However barbarous the Fire Nation may claim we are, we would never bring violence against a defenseless omega.”

“Of course not, Chief Arnook,” the idiot in question said, scowling like he didn’t get what the big deal was.

“Escort Prince Zuko to a holding cell,” Chief Arnook ordered the nearest waterbender. “He is an honored guest: treat him as such.”

The waterbender in question nodded sharply.

“We’ll come get you as soon as we stop Zhao,” Katara promised. “Just sit tight, okay?”

Zuko nodded. “Let Azula know I’m okay,” he requested.

“Can do,” Sokka said, patting Zuko familiarly on the shoulder, since he was close enough. “Take care, buddy.”

“Don’t die,” Zuko replied, then let himself be led off to wherever the Northern Water Tribe kept their prisoners.

Sokka turned back to Aang, Katara, and Arnook. “I guess let’s go save the moon?”

* * *

Azula despised playing catch-up, but she understood that sometimes it was necessary. With a little more time, she could have fire ferreted out Zhao‘s co-conspirators, dumped their bodies in the ocean, taken over the fleet, and picked Zuko up with no need for extended fighting, and she probably could have found a way to spin that so it didn’t look like the blatant treason it was.

Time, however, was one thing she did not have.

She stood at Zhao’s side, radiating disinterest, as the first volley of fireballs impacted Agna Qel’a’s outer wall. Zuko would be inside the city by now, hopefully warning the Avatar’s pack without getting himself killed. Any leader with half a brain would have included the Avatar in the war preparations, so she wasn’t holding out much hope for him not being caught, but any leader with half a brain would know better than to waste a hostage as perfect as Zuko, so she could be relatively certain he wasn’t being harmed, at least.

She’d spent the last hour ‘subtly probing’ Zhao about his meeting with Zuko, giving the man the impression that Zuko had told her nothing of his plans and had been confined to quarters as punishment. It was an intricate web of misdirection, but one she could have woven in her sleep if she needed to, and though Zuko would scold her for thinking so, she was _bored_.

Playing catch-up was almost preferable to all this _waiting_.

“The walls should fall before midnight, your Highness,” Zhao predicted, smiling almost gleefully.

“Do you intend to watch the breaching from here?” she asked with an edge to her voice that a man of his sort would read as spitefulness or even jealousy, making a show of inspecting her nails.

“Of course not,” he replied. “I will be with mobile command.”

“A true warrior would lead the charge himself.”

“But a loyal subject knows it is not his place.” He stepped back and gave her a full formal bow, something he never did without an ulterior motive. “This victory and its glory rightfully belong to you, my Princess,” he said. “The charge is yours to lead.”

It was a neat plan to keep her out of the way. If she were a bit less clever or not aware of his actual goals, she might even have been flattered. As it was, she was more insulted that he thought she was as easy to manipulate as he was.

She smiled sharply, managing to look down on him despite being more than a foot shorter. “How wise you are, Admiral,” she commented. “I’d be glad to lead our people to victory over this glorified ice floe.”

“I am honored to assist you, your Highness,” Zhao assured her, voice dripping with false humility.

Azula continued to smile, all the way back to the _Arashi_ and her battle armor, her battleguard, her ship full of able minions who already knew the plan Zhao was playing right into. Before the sun rose again, the battle would be over, and Zhao would be dead.

It was going to be a very good night.

* * *

Katara itched to be on the walls with the other waterbenders, defending the city from the barrage of flame, but Chief Arnook had other ideas. Ideas Sokka agreed with. And she might give him a hard time about his ‘instincts’ and tease him relentlessly about his dumb alpha brain, but Katara knew that Sokka was smart, and he was good at plans; if Sokka agreed with this plan, it was a good one, and Katara agreed with it, too.

She’d bid good-bye to Pakku at the meeting hall, trying not to take his icy disapproval to heart. He didn’t know Zuko like they did, that was all; once he got to know him, he’d come around. In the meantime, Katara and her pack followed Yue through the deserted back streets of the city, far from the fighting.

Yue led them to a small round door set into an otherwise featureless wall. It opened onto a narrow pocket valley, backed by a waterfall that flowed into a lake, with only a small strip of dry ground at either side, each leading to a low bridge that in turn led to a small grassy island, where a small stand of trees and a gate overlooked a near-perfect circle of a little pond.

“It’s so warm,” Katara commented in surprise, pulling off her anorak.

“It's the center of all spiritual energy in our land,” Yue explained, shedding her own coat. “If the Moon Spirit is anywhere in the city, it’s here.”

“So I guess we just need to find it now?” Aang asked, glancing around. “Hey, Moon Spirit! Come on out!”

“Aang!” Katara protested, scandalized. “You can’t just tell a Great Spirit to come out!”

“Why not?”

Katara stared at him for a moment, sputtering. “It’s just rude, okay?” she said at last.

“Oh. Okay. Hey, Moon Spirit, please come out!”

Katara turned helplessly to Yue. Yue shrugged helplessly back.

“Great Spirits probably don’t answer even to the whims of the Avatar,” Sokka said, sighing. “We’ll just have to actually find it.”

Aang airbent himself to the island, skirting the pond to inspect the stand of trees like he expected to find the Moon Spirit crouched in the middle of it. The others followed along one of the paths.

Sokka finally took off his anorak, dropping it on the grass, and turned in a slow circle. “If I were a Moon Spirit, where would I hide?” he wondered out loud.

“Are we sure it’s hiding?” Katara asked. “Maybe it’s a general presence sort of thing? ‘The Moon Spirit is with us’?”

Sokka shook his head. “Zuko said Zhao’s planning to kill it, which means it has to be at least theoretically killable, which means more than likely it’s got a physical form.”

“I can’t see the Moon Spirit taking the form of a tree,” Katara said, frowning.

“What about a fish?” Aang asked. He gave up on the trees and stepped up to the small pond in the center of the island, staring down into the water.

Sure enough, there were two large koi in the pond, one white with a black spot on its head and the other black with a white spot, swimming in serene circles. Yue stepped up to the edge of the pond as well, leaning down to stare into the water, something oddly otherworldly about the way the moonlight reflected in her eyes.

“A fish,” Sokka repeated. “I mean, fish are definitely killable.”

“But there are two of them,” Katara pointed out. Not that she thought they were wrong, necessarily, but she wasn’t sure they were right, either.

“So maybe two Great Spirits decided the fishy life sounded good,” Sokka replied, shrugging. “Isn’t the Ocean Spirit supposed to be the Moon’s mate? That would at least explain why _fish_.”

Katara bit her lip, frowning down at the pair of fish, still not completely convinced.

“When I was born,” Yue said quietly, “I was very sick and very weak.” Her eyes shone more than the moonlight could account for, and her hair seemed to glow, just slightly, as her gaze followed the path of the fish. “The healers did everything they could, but it wasn’t enough. They told my parents I was going to die.”

Katara reached out, laying a hand on Yue’s shoulder. Yue didn’t seem to notice.

“The night, under the full moon, my father brought me here,” she continued as if in a trance. “He placed me in the pond and begged the spirits to save me. And they did.” She blinked, and it was like a spell shattering. She straightened and turned, smiling at Katara. “That’s why my hair is white, and why my mother named me Yue. For the Moon that saved my life.”

Aang glanced between Yue and the fish, expression thoughtful. “One of them does kind of feel like you,” he said. “But stronger. Like… you’re an echo and it’s the sound.”

“I’m honored to reflect the Moon,” Yue said, turning back to the pond.

“Okay,” Sokka said, clapping his hands sharply. “Operation: Anti-Moon Fishing is a go. Maybe after, we can have a discussion with the Great Spirits about maybe choosing physical bodies that can defend themselves.”

“ _Sokka!_ ” Katara scolded, reaching over to smack his arm. “We absolutely can _not!_ ”

Sokka danced sideways to avoid her outstretched hand. “I was kidding! Sheesh! Save it for the Fire Nation, ‘Tara.”

Katara snorted, glancing around. “At least this place is built to be defended by a couple of waterbenders,” she said. “We can handle Zhao.”

“We’ve done it before,” Aang agreed. “He’s not so tough.”

“He’ll probably have help this time,” Sokka said. “And this is probably the most flammable part of the city.” He looked up at the sheer cliffs and sighed. “Think it’s too late to stick them in a bucket and run?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so that 'two more chapters to wrap up the North Pole' estimate? Was made before I realized that part of my outline was literally just the line 'the invasion happens'. So new estimate: _now_ there will be two (maybe three) more chapters of North Pole shenanigans.
> 
> On the plus side, next chapter features Azula and Yue finally meeting! *tosses confetti* Wewt!


	16. Zhao Gets What He Deserves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Less of a warning and more something to look forward to, but: this is the chapter where Zhao dies!

The walls of Agna Qel’a buckled inward and began to slide down into the sea almost exactly at midnight, the moon bathing the snowy carnage in pitiless blue-white light. Azula was the first person to cross the destroyed boundary into the city, followed closely by her battleguard, made up of firebenders from her own crew and a handful that Zhao had insisted she take, to have a battleguard worthy of her rank.

(Really, the man thought she was as obsessed with rank as he was. It was a bit sad, in a pathetic sort of way.)

Fire, even fire as hot as hers, was difficult to kill cleanly with, especially in pitched battle, and Azula really didn’t have the time to devote to actual death by fire, so she aimed instead to incapacitate, targeting weapons, equipment, and limbs, taking out the city’s defenders as quickly as possible.

She kept half her attention on the fighting and half on Zhao, not far behind her; he’d pushed the breaching now for a reason, and there was no doubt in her mind that he intended to make his move tonight, with the moon full and heavy in the sky; he wouldn’t be able to resist the drama of it all.

Sure enough, not far into the city, Zhao and his battleguard split off from the main fighting, down a side street. Azula kicked a sizzling arch of blue fire into the ranks of blue-clad warriors in front of her, driving them back, then shot three quick firebursts straight into the air.

Teruko whistled sharply, and those of Azula’s guard from her own ship took advantage of the lull to swiftly dispatch those Zhao had foisted onto her. They went down with barely a sound, too surprised to even begin to defend themselves.

“Orders, sir?” Teruko asked as the defenders pushed back against them, seeming not even to have noticed the sudden decrease in their opponents.

“Hold the line, Crewman,” Azula told her, dropping back to let her remaining guard engage the Water Tribe for her. “Wait for Jee’s all-clear before you disengage.”

“Understood, sir,” Teruko said.

Azula smiled, turning and taking off in the direction Zhao had gone.

* * *

Kurik was a simple man who liked simple situations. He liked hunting his meals, liked sparring with his fellow warriors, liked wandering festivals with his family pack. He even liked this invasion, for a given value of ‘like’: there was nothing simpler than their city against the Fire Nation.

The spirits did so love messing with mortals, though, so it really shouldn’t have surprised him when the situation took a turn toward the exact opposite of simple.

First there was that flash of blue fire high into the sky, blazing even against Tui’s white face, undoubtedly a signal of some sort. Hadn’t that Southern boy mentioned a princess with blue fire?

Kurik wouldn’t know it until later, posted as he was with the waterbenders trying desperately to prevent further landings by the Fire Navy, but all across the city, little pockets of soldiers in red and black armor turned on their own, leaving their fellow Fire troops in the snow and halting the advance. Kurik himself didn’t see it and most who had didn’t really notice it in the moment, but it fit neatly with what Kurik _did_ see.

A shout rose on the deck of the nearest ship, and the great machine on its deck shuddered and spun ponderously around to launch its burden at one of its fellow ships rather than the crumbling city wall.

“What in La’s deepest trench-” one of the younger warriors demanded in a high, strangled whisper.

Kurik gestured sharply for silence, but mentally seconded the sentiment.

Further back, other ships also switched their targets from the walls to other ships. Those who didn’t were forced to break off the siege to defend themselves. Even without the help of the stunned waterbenders watching, several ships began to sink.

Kurik turned to Master Pakku. Master Pakku looked just as mystified as he felt.

Kurik turned back to the inexplicable ship-to-ship combat taking place beyond the wall and prayed to the spirits that, whatever in Koh’s lair was going on, it was a good thing.

* * *

The ongoing debate as to whether or not it was permissible to stick a pair of Great Spirits in a bucket even if they had one came to an abrupt end as the door to the oasis exploded inward, raining bits of stone and burning wood into the lake waters and rendering the discussion moot.

Yue was able to tell almost immediately which of the men who spilled through the the ragged hole where the door had been was Admiral Zhao based on the rather colorful descriptions the others had given her: cruel eyes, disgusting smile, tacky sideburns, the barest edge of rotten sea prunes to his scent. He led the way, fist still smoking.

“Well, well, well,” he said, in a voice that filled Yue with the unfamiliar urge to snarl. “If it isn’t the Avatar’s little pack.”

“Fancy meeting you here, Zhao,” Sokka said with false brightness, smiling with too many teeth. “Seems like everywhere we go, you keep turning up like a cursed bead.”

“Cute,” Zhao commented, making a sharp gesture. The soldiers with him split into two groups, each charging down a path toward the island.

Each group was met with a high wave of water pulled from the lake, one by Katara and the other by Aang, swamping the paths and pulling a number of the attackers into the water and tossing them like toys back toward the entrance. Those few who made it past the waters fell to Sokka’s boomerang and club.

Yue didn’t know how to fight. She had often felt superfluous in her life, but this was maybe the first time she had actually felt _useless_ , standing beside the pond where the Spirits circled, unable to do anything to help as more Fire soldiers stormed into the oasis.

Aang and Katara continued to use the surrounding waters to their advantage, but though Katara was amazing and Aang was the Avatar, they were both still only half-trained children, and even the soldiers who dragged themselves breathless and soaked from the waters continued to attack, slowly gaining ground.

Yue refused to retreat, even as Sokka moved back to stand next to her and Zhao himself made it past their defenses. She met his eyes squarely and held her head high, unwilling to yield even if she couldn’t hope to actually fight back.

Zhao smiled, wide and gleaming with cruelty, and raised a fist, punching a blast of fire at Yue. Sokka pulled her clear, growling, but Zhao had already launched his next fireball at the completely undefended pond and the Great Spirits within.

The attack never reached its target. Instead it flickered from sooty red to brilliant blue, skimming the grass but not igniting it as it curved almost gracefully back around to land like a tame owlhawk on the outstretched hand of a pretty young Fire Nation alpha in fancy armor, her hair decorated with a golden flame and a very pleased smile on her lips as she stood at the oasis entrance.

“Hello, Zhao,” she said pleasantly, snuffing the fire in her fist, and it was not Yue’s imagination that Zhao suddenly became a great deal paler.

“Princess Azula,” Zhao said nervously. “What brings you here?”

“Protecting my interests,” Princess Azula replied, stepping onto the righthand path at an almost leisurely pace. The soldiers who’d come with Zhao hurried out of her way. “Like I told Zuko: I have no intention of ruling a kingdom of the drowned. Zuzu was appalled, by the way,” she continued, stepping onto the grass and stopping. “Both that you’d be stupid enough to attempt this, and that you _kissed_ him.”

Zhao managed somehow to pale even further, his face near snow-white; next to Yue, Sokka growled deep in his chest, while Katara made muffled gagging noises.

More men, these ones dressed in blue and white, crowded into the oasis that already felt stifling, but they stumbled to a halt at the scene they found, and the invading soldiers barely spared them a glance.

“Think of your father, Princess,” Zhao said, his attention so fixated on the princess that he probably didn’t even notice the tribe’s warriors. He likely meant it as a warning, but it came out more like a desperate plea.

“I think of my father every day, Admiral,” Azula informed him, taking a slow step forward. Zhao took a stumbling step backwards. “I think of how lovingly he stroked my brother’s face before he _burned_ him.”

Another step forward, another stumble back. She circled him like a stalking predator, herding him with dangerous grace away from the pond.

“I think of how he _sneered_ at my omega and dismissed him as good for nothing but warming a bed.”

Her smile twisted into something half-feral with anger, her tone hardening as she continued to herd him, trapping him in the arc of land between the bridges with only open water behind him and nowhere to run.

“I think of how he looked the other way when weevil-worms like you pawed at Zuko and called it _weakness_ when I refused to ignore it.”

She snarled at him. He flinched back.

“I think of how he hurt my pack, and how I’m going to _make him pay_.”

Her stance shifted, blue fire bursting into life around her hands. Zhao scrambled into a defensive position, and those warriors (Fire and Water both) who found themselves behind him scrambled to not be there.

Yue had never seen firebending before, but even she could see from the outset that Zhao was woefully outmatched. He dwarfed the princess in physical bulk, but that was very obviously the _only_ area in which he was her better, and it would do him little good here.

If anything, it only made him an easier target to hit.

“I’ve wanted to kill you for years, Zhao,” Azula confided, throwing fire that sizzled through the air and hissed spitefully when it hit the water. “Zuzu’s always stopped me. But oh, look: Zuzu isn’t here.”

“He’ll be dead by the time you make it back to your ship,” Zhao threatened, but his voice cracked slightly with uncertainty and fear.

“Zuzu’s not on my ship,” Azula said, almost contemptuously batting aside a panicked fireblast. “He’s safely tucked away where you’ll never be able to touch him again. Not that you’d have the chance to, anyway.”

She continued to toy with him like an owlhawk with a foxmoth kit. Yue felt as though there was a great deal of history between them, none of it good, all of it come home to roost on the Admiral’s head. No one, not even Aang, dared to interfere in what was obviously justice long overdue.

Finally, Azula seemed to tire of the game. She swept her arms out and back in a smooth circular motion, and the air around her seemed to bristle for a moment before her stance shifted and a bolt of what looked like pure blinding white light shot from her outstretched hand, striking Zhao in the chest hard enough to throw him off his feet entirely and into the water.

No one moved to see if he was alright. It was evident even to Yue that it would be a wasted effort.

The Fire Nation soldiers who’d accompanied Zhao fell to their knees _en masse_ , though it wasn’t clear if they were surrendering to the Northern warriors or to their frightening princess. Azula straightened, lowering her arms to her sides, resting one hand almost casually on her hip.

“Hello, Water Tribe,” she said pleasantly to the oasis at large, as though she hadn’t just harnessed the power of the storm to kill a man in front of them. “I’d like my brother back, please.”

“We do not bow to the will of invaders, ashmaker,” one of the warriors, an older beta named Kallik who’d served on the palace guard since Yue was little and had never once been impressed by alpha posturing, said. “Cease your attack and surrender before you think to make demands.”

Azula scowled, and made it obvious that she’d been keeping her scent as tightly controlled as the rest of her by releasing it, flooding the oasis with anger, determination, and sheer _power_ like the crackling lightning she could command.

“Forgive me,” she snapped, wholly unapologetic. “I appear to have given you the impression that you are in charge here. Let me make something perfectly clear to you, Water Tribe: I am being polite. If you insist on wasting my time, _I will stop being polite_. Do you understand me?”

Kallik took an involuntary step back at the promise of violence in the princess’s tone; Yue stepped forward, drawing Azula’s attention away from Kallik and to her. Sokka didn’t try to stop her. He didn’t even tense. Whether that spoke of his trust in her, in the Fire Princess, or both, Yue couldn’t say.

“That is enough, Princess Azula,” she said firmly, holding herself upright, chin raised, the very picture of royal serenity against Azula’s underlying storm. “Further hostility is not called for.”

Azula eyed her, gaze flicking from head to toe and back, and Yue suppressed a shiver at the sensation of having her soul pulled apart and thoroughly examined by Azula’s piercing gold stare. “And who might you be?”

“Yue, daughter of Chief Arnook, princess of the Northern Water Tribe,” Yue said. Azula inclined her head briefly, and Yue returned the gesture. “If you wish to parlay for your omega’s release, you must speak with my father.”

Azula continued to study her, face a mask of practiced neutrality. “And where might I find your father?” she asked.

“Give me your word that you will commit no violence against my people, and I will take you to him.”

“Your Highness-” Kallik protested. Yue silenced him with a raised hand.

“The Avatar and his companions will be with me,” she reminded him. “I am certain they can provide me all the protection I might need.”

Kallik nodded reluctantly. “I understand, Princess Yue,” he said, obviously not happy with her decision but willing to abide by it.

Something calculating and almost pleased flitted across Azula’s face for a heartbeat, then she nodded. “I swear on my honor as crown princess of the Fire Nation and heir to the Dragon Throne that I will harm neither your city nor your people, except in self-defense.”

“A reasonable exception,” Yue said agreeably, nodding. “Please follow me, your Highness.”

Yue turned and Sokka fell into place beside her. Katara and Aang moved to flank the Fire Princess as they left the oasis. Despite the crawling heat of Azula’s eyes between her shoulder blades, Yue did not turn to look back, instead concentrating on the path to the palace, and how she was going to talk her father into letting Prince Zuko go without a fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: fire sibs reunion time, and Azula gets a new day job!
> 
> No guarantee the rest of the stuff will actually wind up in chapter 17, so that's all the preview you get for now. There may or may not also be Azula v. Pakku at the negotiating table and no one on either side being paid enough to deal with _two_ lovestruck teenage royal alphas, but I make no promises.


	17. Azula Quits Her Day Job

Azula trailed along behind Princess Yue like a good girl, with the Avatar to one side and the waterbender to the other. Neither was acting very guarded. They expected her to behave just because they were taking her to Zuzu, and part of her wanted very badly to run for it just to prove that she could.

But they _were_ taking her to Zuzu, so she resisted.

They traversed the icy upper city to the distant sound of fighting. The battle was still going strong despite the invading army having been beheaded, since no one would be paying any attention to reports of Zhao’s death even if they’d made it beyond that little pocket valley by now.

They reached the palace, an edifice of ice that was, in its own way, beautiful, a grand display of waterbending likely built and perfected over centuries. Azula supposed it was a suitable home for royalty, if you happened to like ice.

Here they finally encountered some actual resistance in the form of guards who did not want to let Azula anywhere near their leader because they were, quite frankly, idiots.

Strangely enough, the Water Tribe boy was the one doing the arguing. Princess Yue stood placidly by with only a faint tightness around her eyes to betray her annoyance, as though her being ignored in this fashion was normal.

Azula sighed, deliberately loudly enough to be heard over the arguing, and turned to stare out over the city, searching the darkness above the harbor for Jee’s damned signal already.

Ah, yes: there it was at last, two fireblasts above the harbor, a pause, two more: fleet subdued, all-clear. Those troops who knew who they really owed their loyalty to would be breaking off throughout the city and retreating to whichever ships were still afloat; their misguided compatriots would either follow their lead or quickly fall to the defenders. A little later than she would have liked, but she was certain Jee had done his best. If he’d managed to keep the _Arashi_ intact, she just might give him a captaincy.

Azula turned away from the harbor to find the waterbender watching her. “Was that good news for us, or good news for you?” she asked quietly.

“Both, I would think,” Azula replied, smiling the smile that made Zuko tell her to stop imagining executing annoying people again. The waterbender only snorted and let it drop.

Azula turned back to the door, still smiling. “Gentlemen,” she said, since none of the guards appeared to be women, “it’s a bit chilly to be arguing out in the open; are you going to let us in, or am I going to have to find another way to warm myself up?”

“Please don’t make ominous threats when we’re trying to get you in to see the Chief,” the Water Tribe boy said with a sigh. “Really. Please don’t.”

“They’re keeping me from my omega,” Azula pointed out. “And it’s been a long night. My patience is running thin.”

The Water Tribe boy sighed again. “Look,” he said to the guards, something in him shifting in a way Azula wasn’t familiar with, a way that made even the adults stand a bit more at attention. “Prince Zuko willingly surrendered himself to us to warn us about Zhao’s plan to kill the Moon Spirit, and Princess Azula personally prevented Zhao from doing exactly that. _You owe her_. Okay? Tag along if you want, but we are taking her to Chief Arnook. End of discussion.”

Azula expected further protests. They didn’t come. Two of the guards did trail them as the Water Tribe boy - Sokka, Zuko had called him, right? - stormed past them, Azula and Yue and the Avatar and waterbender following, but they didn’t say anything further.

Sokka led the way through the palace of ice to a large hall where a man who was presumably Chief Arnook waited, surrounded by old men. His expression remained schooled as he looked over their group, eyes lingering on Azula only a moment before returning to Sokka.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“Chief Arnook,” Sokka said. “The Moon Spirit’s safe, and Zhao is dead.”

A murmur of relief ran through the room, and many of the old men relaxed.

“And who is this young lady?” Chief Arnook asked.

“Crown Princess Azula,” Azula introduced herself, stepping forward. She noted anger and disbelief on several faces, but also an unexpected wave of disapproval, as though she’d belched at the dinner table or something. “A pleasure to meet you, I’m certain. I’m here to collect my brother.”

Honestly, she was getting tired of being stared at by Water Tribe adults every other time she spoke. Was ‘blank facial expressions’ a language she wasn’t versed in here, or were they all just stupid?

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible at the moment, your Highness,” Arnook said after a long moment.

“Oh?” Azula replied in a deceptively mild tone that had the Avatar and his little friends standing up straighter with concerned expressions.

“We would be fools to let you have your way when your people are invading our city.”

“My people aren’t invading.”

“Yes, they are.”

“Are you sure?” Azula asked. “Perhaps you should check again.”

The Chief frowned down at her. “I would think-” he began, only to be interrupted by an out-of-breath runner bursting through the doors.

“Chief!” the man exclaimed. “Chief, the invaders have retreated! The ships are still in the harbor, but they’ve pulled back and stopped attacking!”

Arnook looked sharply to Azula, who smirked, spreading her hands as if to say ‘ _see? I told you so_ ’.

“There: you’re no longer under attack,” she said. “If you would like it to stay that way, I’d suggest releasing my omega.”

Arnook continued to regard her sourly, and Azula wouldn’t be surprised if he decided to refuse out of spite.

“Father,” Princess Yue spoke up for the first time, drawing the room’s attention toward her. “Princess Azula saved the Moon Spirit. It would be ungrateful in the extreme for us to bar her from her pack in return.”

Arnook’s expression managed to sour further while also going somehow softer at the same time, something in his eyes warming like the ocean under a summer sun even as his mouth twisted slightly. Was this what a father who actually loved his child looked like during a disagreement?

Yue met and held Arnook’s gaze, saying nothing further out loud, but something still passed between her and the chief. Azula wished Zuko was here to see this; while she was much better at reading people objectively, he had a gift for understanding the emotions at play that she sorely lacked.

“Very well,” Arnook said at last, nodding to his daughter before turning to the nearest guard. “Have Prince Zuko brought here.”

The guard nodded sharply and left on the double. The hall descended into awkward silence with an edge of anticipation that, under other circumstances, Azula would have found amusing. As it was, she was likely the most anxious person in the room, which was not a state she much enjoyed.

It seemed like forever, but the sun hadn’t even risen yet when the guard came back with a waterbender, Zuko between them, moving easily so probably no serious injuries, unbound with no obvious signs of having been restrained roughly. He sought her out as soon as he stepped into the room, and Azula didn’t doubt every single person in the palace scented the rush of affection, joy, and relief he unleashed once their eyes met.

Wisely, every single person in blue between Azula and her omega scrambled out of the way, and nobody tried to stop her as she crossed the floor and all but threw herself into Zuko’s arms, the terrible fear she’d refused to acknowledge that he was lost to her finally laid to rest. Zuko held her crushing-tight like he never intended to let her go; Azula held him just as tightly, ignoring their audience because she could. Because there was no need for secrets and misdirection. Because the people watching them knew and understood in a way no one else had before, and might even respect her for what she didn’t have to hide here: that Zuko was her pack and her omega and she loved him.

There was something terrifying and freeing about the whole thing. Azula would have to decide later how she felt about it. For now, she rested her forehead against Zuko’s shoulder, closed her eyes, and just let herself enjoy it.

* * *

The first day after the invasion was… weird. Sokka had seen the aftermath of more battles than he cared to count, and none of them came even close to the weirdness that was the awkward cease-fire between Princess Azula’s forces and the Northern Water Tribe. The inclusion of a third party - those Fire Nation soldiers who were still somehow more loyal to Zhao than to Azula - only added to the weird.

Most of the day was eaten up by meetings. As a warrior who’d taken part in the battle, the Avatar’s pack alpha, and one of the guys vouching for Princess Azula, Sokka was included in most of them. There were prisoners to exchange, dead to clear and dispose of properly, apparently the Fire Nation troops needed to hold a vigil for their fallen (once the danger of restless drowned was brought up, people were much more open to the idea), supplies to be tallied and distributed, and the actual terms of a permanent end to hostility to work through.

The problems started cropping up almost immediately, of course, because the Northern Water Tribe was run by a bunch of crusty old dudes who didn’t seem to getthat the 14-year-old girl they were talking down to was perfectly capable of destroying they all single-handedly and that maybe asking to speak to the _real_ commander every time she opened her mouth was not the smartest thing they’d ever done.

(The fact that every single member of the Fire Nation navy they approached about it laughed in their faces might have greatly offended _them_ , but it also soothed Azula’s understandable outrage enough that she didn’t feel the need to burn down the city.)

So yeah, talks were going slow, and Sokka was mildly surprised peace actually lasted through the first day.

The second day continued the same way, as did the third. The Northerners with functioning brains got used to the idea that Azula was someone they really, really wanted to not piss off, and Sokka and Katara made private bets on how long it was going to take for the Northerners without functioning brains to push Azula over the edge.

Katara won when, halfway through yet another round of Unknowingly Baiting The Firebender on day four, Azula growled in frustration and stood abruptly.

“If I have to listen to you senile old fools one moment longer, I _will_ set at least four of you on fire,” she announced. “Avatar!”

Aang scrambled to something approximating attention on instinct alone. “Yessir?”

“I need someone to beat up. Let’s go.”

Aang broke out into a huge grin. “Sure!” he agreed brightly. “I’ve learned so much cool waterbending stuff, I can’t wait to show you!”

Azula stomped out of the hall with Aang bounding along beside her, while the council looked on in appalled confusion.

Zuko sighed. “Katara, can you go make sure they don’t level part of the city?” he asked. “Accidentally or on purpose?”

“Of course,” Katara said, jumping to her feet and hurrying after them; even odds if it was because she agreed that was actually a plausible worry, or because she wanted in on the action.

“Who does that girl think she is?” the sourest of the elders demanded huffily. “Why are we even humoring her?”

“Because she’s the leader of the troops anchored in your bay, with whom you’re trying to make peace?” Zuko asked pointedly.

“It’s ridiculous,” another elder piped up as if Zuko hadn’t even spoken, because tribes that weren’t run by Gran-Gran didn’t seem to get that omegas were worth listening to. “We shouldn’t be treating her as though she actually has any power.”

“And how brave you are to say so now that she’s not around to hear it,” one of the functioning-brain elders said, snorting.

“Are you implying I’m scared of a little girl?”

“I assumed you had the common sense to be.”

“I could smack that girl back into her place any day!”

Whatever else the elders might have yelled at each other was interrupted by the torches set around the perimeter of the room flaring hot and high enough that the ceiling above them started to melt, just a little.

Everyone silently turned to the only firebender still present. Zuko took a deep, steadying breath, and the torches flickered back to their previous level of fieriness.

“Forgive me,” he said with obviously forced calm. “I find threats of violence against my sister somewhat upsetting.”

The elder who’d talked about smacking Azula proved he wasn’t _completely_ brainless by keeping his mouth shut.

“This meeting is obviously going nowhere,” Zuko continued, standing, and Sokka couldn’t scent him at all despite sitting right next to him, which was just _freaky_. “I’m going to join Princess Azula on the practice grounds; when you’re done with your collective temper tantrum, send someone for us.”

He left without waiting for a dismissal, still scarily void of scent, amid scandalized murmurs that indicated most of the room didn’t even know why he was so mad at them.

“So,” Sokka said conversationally, cutting through the babble, “are you _trying_ to restart the invasion, or are you just stupid?”

“I beg your pardon,” Pakku said indignantly.

“I mean, you’ve spent the last four days actively antagonizing someone who’s offering you a peace treaty on a silver platter, _after_ she saved the Moon Spirit and also your city, just because she happens to be a girl. So I’m kind of curious if this is warmongering or just stupidity.”

“Given how we’ve suffered at the hands of the Fire Nation-” Idiot Advisor #7 spoke up, and Sokka felt perfectly justified in snapping.

“You’ve suffered at the hands of the Fire Nation?” he repeated. “ _You’ve_ suffered at the hands of the Fire Nation? This was the first time you’ve interacted with the Fire Nation in almost a century!”

“Young man-” Chief Arnook started, and Sokka wanted to be respectful to the guy, he really did. But.

“Katara is literally the only Southern waterbender left because the Fire Nation took the rest! I’ve been the man of our village since I was thirteen because all the men older than me went off to war! I haven’t seen my father in two years and my mother is dead because of the Fire Nation, and you’re really going to sit here in your fortified city and try to lecture me about how much you’ve _suffered_?” He scoffed in disgust, standing. “Yeah, we’re done for the day. Maybe you should all try and grow up by the time we reconvene tomorrow.”

He turned and stomped off after Zuko and the others, and wondered if he could talk Zuko into letting their sisters destroy just a little of the city. An empty building or two. Just for stress relief.

* * *

Zuko had expected Azula to want to stay on the _Arashi_ , at least at night. She’d instead opted to join Aang, Sokka, and Katara in the palace, sharing the suite next to theirs with Zuko. They somehow saw this as an open invitation to invade Zuko and Azula’s suite every evening, lounging around the fireplace having much more productive peace talks between complaining. Sometimes Yue joined them, but she couldn’t always get away from her own duties, so it was mostly just the five of them.

Aang barged into the room ahead of everyone else and flopped facedown on the thick rugs, groaning.

“I’m dying,” he announced melodramatically.

“Don’t be such a baby, Avatar,” Azula scoffed as she followed him, pushing Zuko down on one of the low cushions and sitting snug against his left side, tucking herself under his arm. “I was going easy on you.”

Aang groaned again.

Katara sat down next to Aang, reaching over and gently patting him on the head. “You’ll be okay, Aang,” she assured him, smiling.

“Well, if _you_ think so...” Aang allowed, sighing.

Azula rolled her eyes. “Is he always like this?” she asked the room at large.

“Yes,” the room at large answered. Momo also paused in trying to worm his way under Zuko’s outer robe to chitter his agreement.

“Traitors, the lot of you,” Aang accused, sounding more amused than upset.

“Speaking of treason,” Sokka spoke up. “Is it treason to enact a coup if the people you’re overthrowing are idiots?”

“Sadly, yes,” Azula said, sighing. “Besides, who would you replace them with? I’m far too busy to run this place, and it’s too cold to leave Zuzu in charge.”

“Thanks for keeping my frail disposition in mind,” Zuko commented. “Also, I doubt they’d listen to me. Omega, remember?”

Azula reached up without looking and lightly smacked his unscarred cheek. “Silence, omega.”

Katara looked scandalized for a moment, but she relaxed when Zuko laughed.

“Make me, alpha.”

Azula blew a raspberry in his general direction.

“Adorable as this sibling bonding is, can we get back to the treason thing?” Sokka asked. “Because I’m seriously tired of being the only person being listened to around here.”

“I would’ve thought you’d love being listened to for a change,” Katara commented.

“Being the pack alpha all day every day is _exhausting_ , Katara,” Sokka informed her, picking up a cushion and throwing it at her. She dodged, and it landed on Aang’s head. Aang didn’t so much as twitch. “And it’s kind of infuriating that the only person these people will listen to is the one who’s least able to utterly destroy them.”

“Any bright ideas for changing their minds besides treason?” Katara asked.

“Super treason?”

Katara rolled her eyes and grabbed the cushion off Aang’s head, throwing it back. It caught Sokka in the face, knocking him over. He came up sputtering, but Katara froze the cushion to the floor before he could throw it back.

“Since they refuse to listen to a princess,” Azula said thoughtfully, ignoring Sokka and Katara’s antics, “perhaps a career change is in order.”

“Did you have a new job in mind?” Zuko asked with an indulgent smile.

“I’m a bit young to be Fire Lord just yet,” she admitted. “So I thought I’d give ‘pirate queen’ a try. Just for a bit.”

Zuko snorted, hiding his face in her hair. “You’re ridiculous,“ he accused fondly.

“I think you’ll make a great pirate queen!” Aang piped up encouragingly, finally sitting up to beam at Azula. “You’re already super intimidating and really cool!”

Azula preened slightly, not that anyone who wasn’t Zuko could probably tell. “Why thank you, Avatar. I’ll do my best to live up to your expectations.”

“I really don’t see how that’ll help,” Sokka said, frowning. “I mean you do you and all, but...”

Azula smiled. “It’s really quite simple, Water Tribe,” she said. “Princesses have so many more rules than pirate queens. These Northerns thought I was difficult before? They aren’t going to know what to do with themselves this time tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, those of you who had ideas about Azula's new day job: were you close?
> 
> Sorry for the lack of Yue, but she'll be around more next chapter, which _should_ wrap up the North Pole, Book One, and any vague resemblances to the canon timeline all at once. Depends on if all the Gaang/Fire Sibs fluff and hopeless alpha flirting get away from me.


	18. Zuko Goes Feral On The North

“Pirates,” Hanako said, rubbing her hands together gleefully.

“Pirates,” Jee repeated with much more trepidation, pinching the bridge of his nose as if his head already hurt.

“Pirates!” Kyo confirmed, grinning.

“My last CO _did_ say I was destined for a life of crime,” Teruko said, shrugging. “I guess I don’t mind proving him right; this sounds like fun.”

Jee sighed. And probably prayed for patience. Or for Agni to strike him down where he stood.

If it was the second one, Agni declined.

* * *

Father didn’t want Yue at the meeting the next day, but she asked for so little from him that he found it difficult to say no when she actually wanted something. It took some pleading and a promise to keep at least one waterbender between herself and the royal firebenders at all times, but he did relent, and she was able to join him as usual.

Most of the council arrived before them. Aang, Sokka, and Katara arrived shortly after them, taking their seats. Several councilmen avoided Sokka’s gaze, obviously remembering his outburst yesterday and likely embarrassed with themselves, given how justified it had been.

The rest of the council filed in one by one until only Princess Azula and Prince Zuko were missing, and the time set for the meeting approached.

Just as Yue began to wonder if maybe their guests were going to decline to show at all, the doors flew open a touch dramatically, and framed in the doorway stood Princess Azula.

“Good morning, Water Tribe,” she said. “Who’s ready for another day of pointless arguing where only the children make useful contributions?”

She still wore armor, and it was still embellished and edged in gold, but it wasn’t nearly as elaborate as the set she’d been wearing yesterday. She’d added a brilliant red cape, as well as a generous amount of jewelry; most notably, though her hair was still pulled back in a tight topknot, her crown was conspicuously absent, replaced by a pair of dragon-topped hairpins.

Prince Zuko had also changed, forgoing his robes and half-knot for armor and a high tail, a sword strapped to his back with an ease that said he knew very well how to use it. Aang, Sokka, and Katara didn’t seem surprised by the sudden change in wardrobe and manner - if anything, Katara and Aang looked _amused_ about it - but the same could not be said of the rest of the room.

“What is the meaning of this?” Master Pakku demanded, scowling.

“I’ve decided to stop being polite,” Princess Azula informed him with a sweet smile. Behind her, Kallik winced slightly. “You didn’t want to deal with a princess of the Fire Nation. Fair enough: she’s gone now. Pirate Queen Azula at your service, gentlemen.” She gave the room a bow that might or might not have been mocking, and her smile became an outright smirk. “I promise I come in peace.”

While the adults in the room openly gaped at her, Princess (or should she be using Queen?) Azula sat at her usual spot facing Father with a dramatic flourish of her cape. Prince Zuko remained standing just behind her, mirroring the warriors ranged behind Father and Yue as guards.

“Do let’s get on with this,” Princess/Pirate Queen Azula said. “I have a throne to plunder, and I can only waste so much time here.”

Father stared at her openly for a long moment before visibly collecting himself, clearing his throat. “Princess Azula-”

“Pirate Queen,” Azula corrected him. “Or Commodore, if you prefer.”

Father stared at her a few seconds more. “Pirate Queen Azula. Is all this really necessary?”

Azula laughed, warm like crackling fire and just as dangerous. “Oh, it is,” she insisted, smiling. “Otherwise we’ll be here listening to you menfolk talking yourselves in circles until the summer solstice.”

“You’d do well to watch your tongue, girl,” Elder Nanuk warned, glaring.

“Whyever would I want to do that?” Azula asked, blinking with patently false innocence. “My voice is so much more pleasant than yours, don’t you think?”

Elder Nanuk was reduced to sputtering incoherently at her insolence. Yue had never seen him so utterly nonplussed.

“Guards, remove this brat from the room,” Elder Iliaq snapped. “Throw her in a cell until her head cools.”

The guards moved as if to obey, and Prince Zuko lifted a hand to the hilt of his sword.

Yue’s teachers claimed that omegas were built to soothe, that gentleness and passivity were innate in their characters, that the spirits had crafted them to nurture and support. But Yue, lacking anything else to do with her time, had spent most of her life in the royal library, and she knew the truth: omegas were built to _control_ . They were made to guide, to unify, to hold the pack together and keep internal friction to a minimum by any means necessary. Omegas _could_ be soothing, lulling alphas and betas into accord, and no Northern omega would dream of behaving differently.

But Prince Zuko was not a Northern omega.

“ _Don’t_.”

One word, growled soft and low, with all the true nature of an omega backing it, turning it into an order that overrode everything else, freezing the guards and stunning the elders into silence, drowning them in instincts they’d long ago taught their own omegas to never call on. Prince Zuko was not their pack omega, but he was the only omega in the room, and none of them were prepared for what he could do.

It was terrifying and brilliant and Yue couldn’t help but admire how well it worked even as her alpha brain wilted under the onslaught of an omega’s censure.

“Stand down,” Prince Zuko ordered, and they all obeyed. They were helpless not to. Once he was satisfied, he let go of his sword and crossed his arms. “You’re supposed to be adults: _start acting like it_.”

Several elders shifted uncomfortably. Master Pakku looked stunned. Katara was outright grinning. Sokka was staring at Prince Zuko with an expression best described as ‘lovestruck’.

(Yue made a mental note to remind him of that comment about liking Zuko ‘a normal amount’ later.)

Father seemed to recover fastest, sitting up straighter. “Prince Zuko is correct, gentlemen,” he said, then paused. “Forgive me: should I still be using your title?”

One corner of Zuko’s mouth twitched as if fighting a smile. “Just Zuko is fine, Chief.”

“Zuko, then. Your point is well made, and any who cannot remain civil need not remain in this room. We have a peace treaty to negotiate: let’s get to it.”

They accomplished more in the next two hours than they had in the past four days combined, and for once no one stormed from the room in anger. A few of the more open-minded of Father’s advisors even began to eye Pirate Queen Azula with newfound respect, finally seeing past her age and gender to the brilliance behind her gold-bright eyes and painted lips. The meeting ended on an almost amicable note, even, as they all dispersed to go about their other duties without so much as a heated glare between parties.

Just as she reached the door, Azula turned slightly, catching Yue’s eye, and winked. Then she was gone in a swirl of bright red cloth and flickering torchlight, leaving Yue fighting vainly against a blush and hoping to Tui that Father hadn’t seen its cause.

* * *

That night, the Bison-Back Pack invaded the Fire Nation Royal Suite as usual. They brought Princess Yue along this time, partly because Princess Yue was really cool and partly because Katara thought it was funny how Princess Yue and Azula kept taking turns staring whenever the other wasn’t looking.

Aang didn’t really get it, but that was okay. He was just happy everyone was getting along.

They all sprawled out on the floor around the fire like they usually did, with Zuko and Azula right next to each other and Yue across from them for maximum mutual spying. Azula wasn’t wearing her armor or makeup anymore and her hair was down, so she actually looked the same age as Katara, all wrapped up in a robe so big on her it _had_ to be Zuko’s.

They chatted a while like usual before Azula sat up a bit straighter and cleared her throat.

“I suppose you’re wondering why I’ve called you all here,” she said.

“Because you accepted we’d be here regardless and wanted to feel like you had some control over the situation?”

Azula scowled at Sokka long enough to make him squirm nervously, then turned her nose up at him.

“Anyway,” she said, “I have a request. Now that the Northerners are starting to see reason, I need to prepare to leave. That means finding somewhere else for Zuko to go, because he won’t be leaving with me.”

“Why not?” Katara asked.

“Simply put, it isn’t safe,” Azula said. “Much as it pains me to say, he’d be better protected as far away from me as possible. If I’m going to overthrow Father, I need Zuko to be safe.”

“How do you feel about this?” Sokka asked Zuko.

“I don’t like it,” Zuko answered immediately. “But I know it’s true. If I went back to the Fire Nation with Azula now, I’d just be a liability.”

“Which is where you three come in,” Azula said. “Don’t get swelled heads about it or anything, but I trust you at least enough to leave Zuko with you.”

“We’re not gonna be staying at the North Pole, either,” Aang pointed out. “Is that okay?”

Azula rolled her eyes. “Duh, Avatar,” she said. “You’re not likely to find an earthbending instructor here, after all; just because I’m helping you stop Father doesn’t mean you don’t still have to master all four elements.”

“Just wanted to make sure you knew,” Aang said with a shrug. “Hey, does this mean Zuko’s gonna join the Bison-Back Pack, after all?”

“What?” Zuko asked, and he and Azula both went stiff for some reason.

“Honestly the last time he travelled with us, we almost packbonded with him anyway,” Sokka admitted. “I’m not sure we’d be able to avoid it this time.”

Azula frowned, and her scent disappeared completely. “I suppose if it’s unavoidable...”

“No!” Zuko snapped, all jittery with anger and panic, and Aang had to fight off the urge to try and hug him calm again. “I’m- it’s going to be hard enough being separated, I don’t want- _I’m not abandoning Azula!_ ”

“Zuko,” Katara said gently, her scent washing over them all like a wave, muffling Zuko’s distress, “You can belong to more than one pack. We thought you knew that.”

Zuko stared at her. “You… you can?” he asked, voice small and hopeful and kind of afraid, and Aang couldn’t take it anymore: he scrambled across the floor and threw himself into Zuko’s lap, clinging to him. Zuko automatically hugged him, relaxing just a little bit.

“I belong to two packs,” Katara explained. “My pack with Aang and Sokka, and the family pack I was born to.”

“I’m in both of those packs and a war pack with the Kyoshi Warriors,” Sokka added. “Our dad has the family pack, his friend pack, and the tribe’s war pack, plus any packs he’s joined since leaving.”

“We don’t allow children to form packs, but adults are expected to have more than one,” Yue spoke up quietly.

“Having more than one pack is pretty much normal,” Katara said. “It didn’t even occur to us you might not know that. Sorry.”

Zuko sighed, his arms around Aang tightening slightly. “It’s not your fault,” he said. “There’s probably a lot of basic pack stuff I don’t know.”

“We’ll teach you,” Aang promised, beaming up at Zuko until he smiled back.

“Thanks, Aang,” Zuko said, glancing at Azula. “That makes me feel a lot better about the idea.”

Azula nodded. “Same,” she admitted, also relaxing. “I don’t generally like to share, but I can deal. For Zuko’s sake.”

“We’ll take good care of him,” Aang promised her. “On my honor as the Avatar.”

Azula rolled her eyes, but let her scent turn light and spicy with relief, which was pretty much like shouting for joy for her, Aang felt, which meant it counted as a win.

He didn’t get off of Zuko, though, and Zuko didn’t make him. Azula only glared at him a little before taking her turn to stare at Yue. It felt really good to have another pack member, and Aang got to hug him all the way until it was time to head to bed.

Yeah, today was definitely a win in Aang’s mind.

* * *

Others might have reservations about the Fire Princess, but Kallik didn’t share most of them. He’d been the only boy of six children, and he and his husband were the only men in one of the largest family packs in Agna Qel’a which included their five children; he of all men knew that girls were a force to be reckoned with unto themselves, benders only all the more so, and teenage girls could, when the mood took them, face down a Great Spirit willingly. He’d also seen firsthand what the Princess Azula was capable of, and had no desire to cross her.

In fact, Kallik’s only reservations about the Fire Princess rested on the fact that he had four teenaged girls of his own and knew the sort of havoc they could wreak.

So he didn’t share the blind disdain of some of the council for Princess Azula, nor did he think she was too dim, too naive, or too powerless to not be worth negotiating with. If Princess Azula was any indication, they should have put the women in charge of the Fire Nation decades ago, and he’d said as much to his Chief when his opinion was asked for.

Somehow, this led to him being in charge of the palace guards assigned to Princess Azula and her omega. He wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about that.

His new duties saw him present at the meeting where a provisional peace treaty was written out and signed, to be put in effect once Princess Azula claimed her throne. He was also present for the drafting and signing of an alliance between the Northern Water Tribe and ‘Pirate Queen Azula’, to be used until the treaty could take its place.

The alliance, as well as Princess Azula’s friendship with the Avatar’s pack, meant Kallik was once again involved in council meetings when it came time to gather aid for their sister tribe in the South. Young Sokka did most of the speaking at those; if the Southerners didn’t make that boy Chief when he came of age, then they didn’t deserve him, and Kallik was poaching him for the North.

The main issue seemed to be how to actually get the aid South without putting those carrying it in danger. They’d been arguing that for more than an hour before Princess Azula sighed loudly and stood, interrupting Master Pakku.

“You’re overlooking a very obvious solution,” she said, in a special tone of exasperation with adult ineptitude that only teenagers could manage properly.

“And what solution would that be?” Master Pakku asked, frowning at her.

“You need to get some of your people safely to the other end of the world, through waters controlled by the Fire Nation, and I have a fleet of Fire Nation ships with all the proper codes who can get you there much faster than your little toy sailboats could even _without_ the enemy fleet in your way.”

Master Pakku’s face twitched. “You are a very offensive little girl,” he noted.

Princess Azula smiled sharply at him. “And you’re a very boring old man,” she replied. “Have we finished stating the obvious?”

“Azula,” Prince Zuko said fondly, but with underlying exasperation.

“Diplomacy is _boring_ , Zuzu. Pirate queens shouldn’t have to deal with it.”

Princess Yue attempted to cover her giggle with a cough, and Kallik didn’t miss the quick, slightly smug smile Princess Azula shot the princess before refocusing on the discussion at hand.

Kallik debated alerting Chief Arnook to the shenanigans unfolding between the girls, but quickly decided against it. If Chief Arnook couldn’t see it for himself, it wasn’t Kallik’s place to point it out.

Also, he was too old and not paid _nearly_ enough to involve himself in that nonsense. Let them make moon eyes at each other until the Fire Princess left. What was the harm?

“Why should we trust you with our men?” Elder Nanuk asked, scowling.

“Because I’m trusting the Avatar with my omega,” Princess Azula responded, voice and expression for once completely serious. “My omega, who I have betrayed the Fire Nation for. Who I would burn the world to ash to protect. The entirety of my pack. I leave him in the care of the Avatar and two of your own, knowing full well that the quickest and most effective way for you to strike back at me is through him.”

In the Fire Nation, such a declaration would be less than meaningless. Likewise, most in the Earth Kingdom would have discounted it as an empty gesture at best. To the Water Tribes, however, there was nothing Princess Azula could have said or done that would have had more of an impact. Arnook and his council, his warriors, his watebenders, the women and children of his tribe down to all but maybe the toddlers and babes in arms, knew that Princess Azula’s pack was her entire world, and that she would do anything to prevent harm befalling it. Including behaving herself.

Kallik had to admit, the little savage was starting to grow on him.

Arnook nodded once, solemnly, in acknowledgement. “Very well, Pirate Queen Azula,” he said. “Does anyone object to this motion?”

It looked to Kallik like a few people wanted to, but no one actually did.

“Then the motion is accepted,” Chief Arnook said. “I leave the planning of that to you.”

“One more thing, Chief Arnook.”

Chief Arnook gestured wordlessly for her to continue.

“It isn’t just your men who are welcome on this voyage,” Princess Azula said firmly. “Any woman who wishes to go south _will_ be accepted on my ships, and we will _not_ be stopping to ask the men in their life for permission. This is not open to negotiation: I am informing you that it will happen as a courtesy. That is all.”

Her voice was strong and unyielding as the iron of her ships, and the tilt of her chin dared anyone present to challenge her. No one did.

She nodded once, almost as if to herself, and sat back down with all the dignity of a ruler four times her age.

Kallik’s thoughts went to his own children, specifically his beloved eldest daughter and her twin. Yura, he knew, would leap at the chance to see the world beyond the North Pole, and Yuka went where their twin did, still as close as they day they’d been born. His mates were powerless to deny their little girl anything; if Yura was to be kept home, Kallik would have to be the one to tell her so.

Studying Princess Azula’s too-young profile as the meeting carried on around them, Kallik thought that maybe, just this once, Yura could have her way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Azula: *exists*  
> Kallik: *bugging Dadkoda for tips on adopting Fire Nation royalty*
> 
> Y’all remember when I said chapter 16 was gonna wrap up book one? Yeah, good times. Anyway chapter 19 is gonna wrap up book one. I’m sure of it this time.


	19. Katara Can't Even With This

Time passed. A relief effort of this magnitude, with this many moving parts, required a great deal of coordination and planning well in advance; it was a good thing they had the tactical knowledge of the navy-turned-pirate-fleet to draw on, as the Northern Water Tribe had no experience whatsoever in the area.

Meanwhile, reconstruction of the shieldwall and the parts of the city damaged in the invasion had to be undertaken, and the question of who should go South and who should remain to guard the homefront had to be answered.

Predictably, a number of families made it clear that their daughters were forbidden from joining the expedition. Predictably, a number of their (adult) daughters, having seen a pair of 14-year-old girls stand up to the menfolk and get away with it, decided their families could go bother a polar bear goose flock for all they cared.

Several young women wound up moving onto the ships long before they were due to sail. Some people were surprised by this. Some people had seen it coming from a nautical mile away and already begun shuffling things around to make room.

Zuko split his time as evenly as possible between Azula and Sokka, Katara, and Aang, wanting to get comfortable with his new second pack but not wanting Azula to feel he was abandoning her.

Azula split her time as evenly as possible between Zuko, meetings, and Yue, tending to her duties and her pack while also failing at pickup lines but not caring because they made Yue laugh.

Kallik split his time between guarding the royal firebenders, sighing over the antics of teenage alphas in love, and helping Yura pare down her travel packing to a realistic size.

A month after Zhao’s failed invasion, the planning was mostly complete and the fleet was due to sail in another week. The time was quickly approaching to leave the North Pole behind.

* * *

The day got started much later in Agna Qel’a than it did in Caldera, with most of the official business being handled midday or later, so Azula had taken to commandeering the training grounds for her own practice sessions and private spars with Zuko. It was quickly becoming the only time they could be alone together; the scope of the arena meant any spies had to do their spying from too far away to hear what they said to each other.

Not that they tended to say anything important during those early mornings, but it was the principle of the thing.

They’d finished sparring for the day, and Zuko sat on the ground nearby while Azula ran through every kata she knew, starting from the baby stuff and working her way up to master forms, while Zuko told her about the plans the Avatar’s pack was making for once they left the North Pole.

“Once he masters earthbending, the Avatar’s going to need a firebending master,” Azula said, deliberately casual, not pausing in her katas or even glancing in Zuko’s direction.

“You can just call him Aang, you know,” Zuko said, snorting. “You’ve already betrayed your hidden soft center.”

“I’m only soft for you, brother dearest,” she reminded him, moving up to advanced katas. “And only when you’re not dodging the conversation.”

“I didn’t realize there was a conversation to be dodged.”

Azula sighed. “Zuzu, don’t be dumb; it’s not a good look on you.”

Zuko sighed right back. “I can’t be Aang’s firebending master,” he said. “I’m not a master at all.”

“I just told you not to be dumb.”

Zuko didn’t answer. She paused and turned toward him to find he’d drawn his legs up, chin resting on his knees, and was staring intently at the ice, all hint of his scent gone, obviously (to Azula, anyway) upset.

“Uncle watched me training once,” she said. The abrupt apparent change of subject seemed to throw him, and he glanced up at her. “He said something that you probably needed to hear much more than I ever did.”

“What was that?”

“ _‘To start a forest fire requires only a single spark.’_ ”

Uncle had meant to warn her about her lack of control, she was sure; Azula had been pretending not to care about collateral damage because that was what Father wanted in his heir, and the old fool had as usual seen only what he wished to in her. Azula could easily burn anything she wanted through brute force, but Zuko didn’t have that kind of strength. Zuko had to be smart about how he used his flame, both because he lacked raw power and because he cared so deeply about what and who his flames burned.

And if Uncle hadn’t been such an idiot and spent their every moment together trying to drive a wedge between Zuko and Azula, Zuko would already know that. If Uncle had stopped trying to ‘save’ Zuko, he could have actually protected him.

“Besides,” she continued, burying her anger at Uncle’s bungling for now, “the Avatar’s been... different lately. He spends most of our spars trying to smother my flame rather than actually fighting. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he’s afraid of fire.”

Zuko nodded without evidence of surprise, meaning he’d noticed that, too. It was a bit frustrating, and Azula was thinking of elevating Katara to her second-favorite sparring partner because of it.

“Who better to teach a firebender afraid of fire,” she asked, “than someone who learned such control that he can put a forest fire out almost as easily as I can start one?”

Zuko didn’t have an answer for her, but she knew her brother well enough to recognize the stubborn reluctance in the set of his jaw and the shift of his feet.

“Think about it,” she said. “That’s all I ask. You have time before you need to make a decision; the Avatar will need to master his opposite element first. If your decision is ‘no’, that’s fine, but make sure it’s actually _your_ decision. I don’t want Father making choices for my omega.”

Zuko flinched, just slightly, and his shoulders tightened, but he nodded.

“Good. Now, I have a meeting with Jee about,” she made a face, “ _troop distribution_ ; you stay here and get some more practice in. I’m sure someone will show up to fight you eventually.”

* * *

Zuko had the practice grounds to himself for another hour or so. He used the time to run through his fake katas, doing his best to think objectively about what Azula had said. He didn’t want Father making decisions for him, either, but it was difficult to sort out when he was being realistic and when he was parroting Ozai’s disdain when it came to… really, anything about Zuko.

He’d finished bending practice and moved on to his swords shortly before Katara entered the practice grounds, a sour-faced old waterbender beside her. They both stopped a good distance away, simply watching for several minutes.

“You know,” Katara spoke up suddenly, startling him even though he’d known she was there already, “You’re the only bender I’ve ever met who also knows how to use a weapon. Sokka says that’s illegal.”

Zuko smiled in spite of himself. “Sokka’s ridiculous.”

“He really is,” she agreed cheerfully. “But I do have to wonder why you’re the exception.”

“I’m not a good firebender, Katara,” he reminded her. “I have to do _something_ to compensate.”

“You are so a good firebender.”

“I’m really not.”

“Zuko, I have fought you enough to know you’re a good firebender.”

“I’ve already had this argument with Azula today; can we please just agree to disagree?”

Katara scowled at him a long moment, then sighed. “Fine. Master Pakku and I wanted to talk to you about something else, anyway.”

“Pupil Katara has been attempting to emulate one of your techniques,” the waterbender - Master Pakku, apparently, Katara’s teacher - said, “but has hit something of a wall with it.”

“Really? Which one?”

“The fire dagger swarm,” Katara said, rocking back slightly on her heels. “I’ve got a strong start, but I can’t quite get the swarm to behave like you do.”

“She has also been unable to explain to me exactly what the issue is,” Master Pakku added. “Perhaps a demonstration would be beneficial, if you would be so kind.”

Katara turned her pleading eyes on him, obviously not knowing what she was asking for, but Zuko was part of her pack now, so any power he might have had to say no to her was gone.

Zuko sighed, steadying himself. He was allowed to firebend. He wouldn’t get in trouble for this. He wasn’t home, and Master Pakku had specifically asked to see him bend, using this specific form.

With that in mind, he ran through the kata, at less than full speed like he had the first few times he’d used it against Katara while they pretended to fight, when she’d still been learning how to dodge properly. Katara grinned and gestured, raising a pillar of ice in front of the target; Zuko flicked his wrist, diverting the swarm around it and redirecting it to the target from the new angle. As soon as the target caught, he closed his fist, snuffing the flame.

Master Pakku studied him, face a perfect blank mask. “Again,” he ordered.

Zuko obeyed; it had been a few years since he’d had any bending instructor besides Azula, but he still remembered how they treated anything less than total and immediate obedience, and just because Pakku couldn’t burn him didn’t mean he couldn’t punish him just fine.

Katara continued to throw obstacles in his way, clearly having fun even though her master was right there watching, but then Katara was obviously a very good student; maybe that meant Pakku didn’t care. Whatever the reason, he at least hadn’t killed Katara’s joy in her bending, for which Zuko was grateful.

After half a dozen repetitions, Pakku had Katara demonstrate her own version. Zuko could see what she meant, about getting the swarm to behave: her aim was good and her ice shards always flew true, but once she let them fly, they were out of her control. He said as much, and she nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes, exactly!” she exclaimed, huffing in frustration. “I don’t get what I’m doing wrong! Maybe this move just can’t be replicated with waterbending.”

“If it makes you feel any better, Azula can’t replicate it with firebending,” Zuko said. “She doesn’t have the range.”

“Range?” Katara repeated, mystified. Judging from his expression, Master Pakku didn’t seem to understand, either.

“Our fire is an outward manifestation of our chi,” Zuko explained as best he could. “We can control any external flame we can reach with our chi, as long as we’ve been taught how. Azula’s range - the distance she can reach with her chi - is usually about ten feet, and most firebenders have a range of less than half that.”

“What’s your range?” Katara asked.

Zuko blushed slightly, scuffing his boots in the snow. “I don’t really know?” he confessed. “We haven’t really found an outside limit, honestly, though my control gets shaky after about fifty feet, and it’s a lot harder if I can’t actually see the flame-”

“You can control fire you can’t even see?” Katara demanded, sounding at once impressed and offended. “ _You can control fire you can’t even see_ , and you think you’re _a bad firebender_?”

“I am!” Zuko protested. “I don’t know any of the proper katas and I couldn’t even- and it’s not like I even firebend right, anyway!”

“What does that even _mean_?” she demanded.

“Firebending is supposed to be fueled by strong emotions, like aggression and ambition and anger, and mine’s… not.” His bending came from murky, shameful emotions, weaknesses, like desire to please and protectiveness and sometimes fear. Never from the right source, no matter how hard he tried. “Omegas just aren’t good firebenders, okay?”

Katara stared at him blankly for a long moment, then threw her hands into the air with a frustrated growl. “I can’t even with you,” she said.

“Can’t even what?”

“Can. Not. _Even_ ,” she repeated without clarifying, punctuating each word by poking him hard in the chest (not that he could feel it through all the layers of fur).

“Please finish your sentences,” Zuko begged.

“ _Never,_ ” Katara replied, and it felt remarkably - comfortingly - like bantering with Azula. Like maybe having a second pack wouldn’t be so hard, after all. Like instead of losing his family, he was expanding it.

It was, in Zuko’s opinion, a very good feeling, indeed.

* * *

Time continued to pass. The time came for the fleet to depart. On the eve before it was set to sail, Princess Yue spoke privately with her father for some time, then announced publicly that she would be accompanying Azula's fleet South to personally oversee the rebuilding of the South Pole.

When the morning came, Princess Yue wished her father and her people farewell and boarded the _Arashi_ accompanied by one of her personal maids and Kallik, who had somehow landed in the position of ‘most trusted guard’ and was still not completely sure how he felt about it.

Kallik’s eldest, Yura and Yuka, went with him.

Azula made her farewells in private. Not even his second pack was allowed to eavesdrop on her final words to her brother and omega, and Katara made absolutely certain no one else managed to overhear, either.

Master Pakku officially bestowed Katara’s mastery on her and appointed her the Avatar’s waterbending master, and the fleet set out, the great engines of the ships aided by waterbenders.

The day after, the Avatar’s pack left the North as well, heading for an Earth Kingdom army fort where they could begin the search for Aang’s earthbending master.

To most involved, it felt like the closing of a chapter or the ending of a volume, and the beginning of a new one.

* * *

Ozai rarely summoned his brother. This was a combination of Ozai’s disdain for Iroh and Iroh’s carefully cultivated habit of ‘just happening’ to be in the company of someone who was being summoned for a meeting Iroh wished to attend. Ozai had a great deal of power, but not enough to overtly bar Iroh from much of anything that happened at court, and so the two of them played this game.

All that, to illustrate just how unusual it was for Ozai to have Iroh summoned to his office for a private meeting, and to make sense of how surprised Iroh was.

He hid his surprise as easily as he breathed, answering to the summons immediately, bowing properly to Ozai as soon as he was admitted. The guard sent to summon him closed the door but remained inside.

“You sent for me, Fire Lord Ozai?” he asked.

Ozai nodded. “Word has come back from the North,” he said, the curl of his lip indicating that the news was not what he had hoped for. “Zhao is dead.”

Iroh bowed his head. He would not mourn the man, but neither would he celebrate his demise.

“The invasion failed,” Ozai continued. “Because Azula chose to betray her nation and throw her lot in with the Water savages.”

“And what of Prince Zuko?” Iroh asked, praying that he was not about to hear that he’d allowed Azula to drag her brother to his death.

Ozai shrugged dismissively. “I didn’t care to ask. You can interrogate the messenger before you leave, if you wish.”

“Leave?” Iroh repeated.

Ozai nodded. “That child must pay for her actions,” he ordered, as though this was not his daughter he spoke of. “Find her and drag her back here by her hair if you must.”

Iroh bowed. “As my Fire Lord commands,” he said, waiting for Ozai’s dismissal before rising and leaving as fast as he could without appearing rushed. He had to find and question that messenger to discover what he could of Zuko’s situation; if he still lived and Iroh hurried, he might be able to save his nephew at last.

* * *

Mai sat at her vanity, a pile of jewelry in front of her with a smaller pile on either side, listlessly sorting, while Ty Lee paced the floor behind her.

“It’s just not fair,” Ty Lee lamented for about the fifth time in the past hour, stepping nimbly around the packed trunks and cases of Mai’s belongings.

“Definitely not,” Mai agreed.

“Just because Azula’s a dirty rotten traitor doesn’t mean _you_ should have to leave.”

“Tell me about it.”

“And with Prince Iroh leaving town, _I’m_ probably gonna have to leave, too.”

“Probably for the best.”

Ty Lee flipped into a handstand, sighing. “I guess I could go home,” she said. “I’m sure my parents won’t even notice the extra mouth.”

Mai hummed noncommittally, setting aside a hair comb she’d borrowed from Zuko months ago and never given back. If she took that, she’d probably be accused of trying to steal from the royal family.

“I could always say to Koh’s lair with it and become a highway robber instead,” Ty Lee mused, shifting her balance to one hand and lifting the other off the ground to rub thoughtfully at her chin.

Mai smiled slightly, turning away so that Ty Lee wouldn’t see it.

“Stay away from the highway between Lai Xao and Changzi in two weeks,” she warned. “We’ll be traveling there so Father can take over as governor of Lin Yu colony, and the last thing I need to deal with on top of my family is being robbed.”

“I bet that would scare Tom Tom, too,” Ty Lee said.

“Probably,” Mai agreed, even though they both knew Tom Tom was too young to understand the concept of being robbed and so familiar with Ty Lee’s scent that he could never be scared of her.

“I’ll keep that in mind if I do decide to become a highway robber,” Ty Lee promised, tumbling back to her feet with a smile. “I should probably leave now, since I have further to go,” she said, despite her family living only a couple days’ travel by ship. “I’ll miss you.”

“You’ve been tolerable company,” Mai replied, which made Ty Lee grin wider as she skipped out of the room.

Mai turned back to her jewelry. If she was going to be kidnapped by highway robbers en route to Lin Yu, she’d have to start sorting all over again. She smiled, dumping everything back into a pile, and began sorting again with an added emphasis on ‘can this be safely sold’ and ‘can this be used as a weapon’.

Much as she loathed the thought of having to travel in close quarters with her parents, she at least knew she had something to look forward to that would make it worthwhile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re finally done with the North Pole! *throws confetti* Canon has been escorted off the property and served with a restraining order: we are going whole-hog-monkey AU, featuring Zuko vs The Earth Army, Gaang-as-pack bonding times, the return of Jet, the Danger Lady Pirate Squad, Iroh’s redemption arc, and Toph.
> 
> Strap in, y’all; it’s gonna be a wild ride.


	20. Fong Does Not Make Some New Friends

Iroh sat in his cabin as his ship cut through the ocean waters toward the Earth Kingdom, studying reports. The best of the Fire Nation’s intelligence put Princess Azula in a fleet of plundered ships somewhere north of Ba Sing Se. Her fleet was said to include waterbenders, due to whatever deal she’d struck with the Northern Water Tribe when she’d turned on her homeland.

Zuko, however, was not with her.

According to the few spies they’d managed to hold on to, Zuko had been left behind at the North Pole. Iroh’s own private sources said that he had been given to the Avatar and made part of his pack, and would be leaving the North Pole when he did.

Iroh did not believe for a moment that this had been done for Zuko’s sake: Azula was a cunning girl who had demonstrated clearly how little regard she had for her brother’s well-being, and would never act solely to his benefit. This was some machination of hers, he was certain, and he could not help the cold empty feeling in the pit of his stomach when he allowed himself to think too closely about it.

The Avatar had been raised in the peaceful ways of the Air Nomads, who held that all genders - primary and secondary - were created equal in the eyes of the spirits. But the Avatar was known to travel with a young Water Tribe alpha, and the Water Tribes held a view of omegas not dissimilar to that of the Fire Nation. The Avatar was young, not even presented yet; it would be easy to hide some things from a boy so young, and no telling what a rash alpha might do to an omega he considered an enemy.

As far as Iroh was concerned, Zuko was very much still in danger.

Given his druthers, Iroh would gladly have left hunting down Azula until after he knew Zuko was safe and protected, but the ship he’d been given was crewed by sailors and soldiers loyal to Ozai, who would not care about Zuko and would not allow him to deviate from the task Ozai had given them.

He would just have to find and subdue Azula quickly, and hope that whatever damage was done to Zuko in the interim, he would be able to help heal.

* * *

It felt like they’d been flying for ages by the time Appa curved around another mountain peak and they finally caught sight of their destination, a great round fortress on a low slope, made of massive white walls so smooth they looked like pristine snow gleaming in the sun.

“There it is!” Sokka exclaimed excitedly, sounding as eager to finally get out of the saddle as Katara felt. Aang cheered in response from his spot on Appa’s head, and Zuko-

Zuko frowned, staring down at the fort looking more tense than excited.

Katara slid back in the saddle to sit next to him. “Are you okay?” she asked.

Zuko nodded, still frowning. He had a very impressive frown. “Just not looking forward to this,” he said, so quietly she almost didn’t hear him over the wind as Aang guided Appa down to the roof of the fort’s massive central tower. “Don’t worry about it.”

Katara bit her lip, but let it go. Appa landed, and they all dismounted, even if Zuko wasn’t very enthusiastic about it, facing a double line of soldiers in Earth Kingdom greens and an alpha with the most impressive beard Katara had seen since Una’s grandfather passed.

“Welcome, Avatar Aang!” the man with the impressive beard said, bowing deeply. “I am General Fong, and welcome to you all!”

Aang grinned, bowing back. “Thanks!” he said. “It’s great to be here.”

General Fong straightened and smiled broadly. “You must be weary from traveling,” he said. “Please, come in and rest. We can talk over a fitting feast.”

“Sure,” Aang agreed, grabbing his staff. Momo, who’d been balancing on it, screeched indignantly and glided over to land on Zuko’s shoulder, and something in General Fong’s expression changed, in a way Katara wasn’t quite sure how to interpret.

“We are, of course, happy to secure your prisoner.”

“Prisoner?” Aang repeated, confused. “What prisoner? We don’t have any prisoners.”

“He means me,” Zuko spoke up, scratching absently behind one of Momo’s large ears.

“What? Zuko’s not a prisoner,” Aang said, scoffing. “He’s part of our pack!”

Fong’s mouth twisted sourly for just a moment before he smoothed it out again. “I see.”

Katara shifted a little closer to Zuko. This must be what he hadn’t been looking forward to. It reminded her of Bato a little, how he’d also assumed Zuko was an enemy just because he was Fire Nation, even though he’d been traveling with them. It looked like Zuko had expected this, even if Katara hadn’t even thought about it. Zuko wasn’t the enemy: he was _Zuko._

“Zuko is welcome as well,” Fong assured them, though it sounded less than sincere to Katara’s ears.

“Great,” Sokka said. “You mentioned food and I am _starving._ ”

Fong and Sokka led the way in, with Aang a step behind them. Katara stayed close to Zuko, trying not to let herself be suspicious of the Earth soldiers who formed up around them. That was probably normal.

There was indeed a feast waiting for them, including several vegetarian dishes for Aang. Neither Katara nor Zuko ate very much, but Sokka more than made up for it as they listened to Fong tell Aang about his efforts to find him an earthbending teacher.

“I’ve already sent word out to several contacts,” Fong assured them, setting down his bowl as soldiers stepped forward to begin clearing the tables, signalling an end to the meal. “I’m certain the earthbenders I sent for will be arriving any day now. A room has been set aside for your use while you wait.”

“That’s kind of you, but-”

“Then it’s decided,” Fong said, talking right over Sokka. “We are honored to host the Avatar and aid him on his quest.”

“That’s not-” Sokka tried again, only to be talked over again.

“These men will escort you to your room so you can settle in. As for your,” Fong paused for a second, his gaze flickering to Zuko, “omega, suitable quarters can be provided.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Katara said, smiling at Fong and using her most reasonable tone of voice as she wrapped her arm around Zuko’s. “Zuko can stay with us. He’s our pack omega, after all; it wouldn’t make sense for him to go off by himself.”

She kept smiling, pouring all of her concentration into radiating soothing reasonability directly into Fong’s face. _I don’t know what you’re up to,_ she thought at him, _but I’m not letting you have your way, and that’s final._

Whether Fong heard her mental vow or not, he simply nodded with an edge of grumpiness. “Enjoy your rest,” was all he said before turning away, clearly dismissing them.

It wasn’t very grown-up of her, but Katara stuck her tongue out at his back, anyway.

* * *

Yuka had never sailed beyond what was required of the fishing fleets before. They’d been sort of dreading leaving the waters immediately around Agna Qel’a, having heard tales from more far-ranging warriors about the vast emptiness of La’s deeper waters, far from ice and land and safety, but they’d taken to it almost as easily as their twin, adjusting quickly to the faint roll of the metal deck below their feet and learning to love the sound of the waves against the hull.

They stood with their back against the rail, wind tugging at their wolftail, and did what Papa always said they did best: watched.

There was plenty of interest on the deck of Pirate Queen Azula’s ship, from a few brave Water warriors and Fire soldiers attempting to practice together, to Master Pakku’s class that now included Yura with her back straight and chin up as if just _daring_ the boys to say it wasn’t her place, to Papa on the opposite rail standing guard over Princess Yue, to Princess Yue watching the Pirate Queen Azula, to Pirate Queen Azula sparring with one of her own crew obviously mainly for Princess Yue’s benefit, to the Fire soldiers watching their once-princess future-ruler show off.

Yuka smiled to themself, most of their attention on watching Papa. They were too far away to make out his expression, but they knew the tilt to his broad shoulders and the specific angle of his head that said he was silently insisting the spirits _owed_ him for what they were putting him through as he watched Princess Yue watch Pirate Queen Azula with rapt attention.

A throat cleared nearby, and Yuka turned slightly to spot one of the Fire soldiers approaching them. Pirate Queen Azula addressed him as ‘Helmsman’, which was his job on the great metal ship, something like manning the tiller from what Yuka understood.

“So,” the helmsman said, stopping to lean against the rail a few feet away, close enough to speak but far enough to prevent accidents, “Is this as awkward for you guys as it is for us?”

Yuka smiled. “Disappointing, actually,” they said. “I was promised fire-breathing and horns.”

The helmsman blinked, then laughed. “Yeah, sorry,” he said. “Not a bender at all, much less one good enough to breathe fire. While we’re on the subject, you wouldn’t happen to have gills and/or scales, would you?”

Yuka shook their head. “Sadly, no. We’re sea serpents, then, to your dragons?”

He nodded. “I’m Kyo, by the way, since Pri- sorry, _Pirate Queen_ Azula hasn’t yelled it across the deck yet.”

“Yuka,” they said. “It’s nice to meet you, Kyo, even if you aren’t a dragon.”

Kyo laughed. “Same, Yuka. Can I ask what you’re having so much fun looking at?”

Yuka smiled wider. “Your princess and mine attempting to give my father an ulcer.”

“Mind if I watch with you?”

“Not at all,” they assured him. Papa glared so hard it could be felt all the way where Yuka was standing, but they were supposed to be making nice with the former enemy, and alpha or no, Yuka was confident they could handle Helmsman Kyo if he got presumptuous.

They went back to watching as Pirate Queen Azula bested her current opponent and went to speak with Princess Yue. Papa worked a bit harder on that ulcer.

It wasn’t a bad way to spend an afternoon on a pirated Fire Nation ship, if you asked Yuka.

* * *

At first, Sokka didn’t think much of it when Zuko vanished at some point during the day. Zuko wasn’t usually the type to get distracted, but he might have seen something really cool, or stopped to talk to someone really interesting, or decided on a whim to see if he could climb the outside of the tower without being caught. That last one especially seemed like a very Zuko thing to do.

Sokka was so not worried about it that he just shrugged and decided to go for a walk, because he’d forgotten whose fort they were in and how the guy had some sort of vendetta against Zuko. They’d already made it clear Zuko was part of their pack, so that should be that, right?

Wrong. Very, very wrong, because he stumbled on Zuko in a random side hall, caught in a shallow alcove formed by two walls and a massive stone pillar with Fong himself blocking him in.

Fong wasn’t, objectively, that big of a guy - he wasn’t all that much taller than Sokka - but he was solid, in a very fitting way for an earthbender, which was only made more obvious compared to Zuko’s thin sinew-muscle frame, his plain travel clothes inadequate protection against a guy in armor, especially when surrounded by stone.

“Hey, Zuko,” Sokka said as casually as he could manage, forcing himself not to run up to the pair or reach for his boomerang. “We’ve been looking all over for you, where’d you wander off to?”

Fong smiled. It immediately put Sokka even more on edge. “Your omega appears to have gotten lost,” he said. “I was going to offer to escort him back to you, but it seems there’s no need.”

“Thanks, Fong,” Sokka said, hoping his own smile didn’t look as strained as it felt. “You’re a swell guy. We’ll just be on our way.”

“Of course,” Fong said, still smiling, and finally stepped aside so Zuko could escape the literal corner he’d been backed into. He bowed slightly, then turned and walked away.

“I don’t like that man,” Zuko commented, scowling.

“Pretty sure the feeling’s mutual,” Sokka commented right back. “You okay? That looked… tense.”

Zuko nodded. “He thought I was spying. Or he was accusing me of spying as a pretext for imprisoning me.”

“Why?” Sokka asked, frowning, as they started back toward the room where they were all staying.

“He knows who I am,” Zuko replied casually, as if Fong’s reasons for being a jerk were not only totally obvious but also completely understandable. “Even discounting my potential as a hostage, I could give him some rough intel on the Fire Nation military, insight into Father’s mind and tactics, and detailed information about Caldera and the Dragon Palace. I’m a gold mine of useful information and he knows it: why _wouldn’t_ he want to interrogate me?”

“That is so messed up on so many levels,” Sokka informed him, opening the door and waiting for Zuko to step inside first, irrationally worried that if he left Zuko alone for even a second, Fong was going to pop out of a wall and grab him. “Also, we are so leaving.”

“We can’t,” Zuko protested, frowning. “Aang needs an earthbending instructor.”

“We can find one on our own,” Sokka insisted. “I’m not gonna stay here if it puts you in danger.”

“Sokka, I’m the Fire Lord’s son; there’s nowhere in the world where I _won’t_ be in danger. We’re not leaving just because of that.”

“How is Zuko in danger?” Aang asked, alerting Sokka to the fact that he and Zuko weren’t alone. Aang had apparently been teaching Katara some sort of board game, but they’d both abandoned it when Sokka and Zuko walked in.

“Fong is how,” Sokka reported. “Turns out he’s evil.”

“He’s not evil, he’s just… focused,” Zuko said. “There’s no line he won’t cross if he thinks it’ll help him achieve his aim, because that’s all that matters to him. He doesn’t see moral dilemmas or collateral damage, he just sees his goal and the quickest way to get to it.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Zhao was like that, too.”

Sokka’s heart seized up, remembering the things Azula had accused Zhao of in the Spirit Oasis before she killed him. “He’s not being creepy to you the way Zhao was, is he?”

Zuko shook his head immediately. “Zhao had some kind of weird personal obsession with me; Fong only cares about how he can use me to undermine the Fire Nation.”

“We won’t let that happen,” Katara promised, reaching out and laying her hand on Zuko’s shoulder. “You’re pack, Zuko: we’ll take care of you.”

Zuko nodded. “I know. Which is why we can’t just leave. I’ll probably be fine.”

“Probably?” Sokka repeated. “ _Probably?_ ”

Zuko shrugged. It was not reassuring.

Sokka had lost more than enough arguments with Katara to recognize where this one was going, though. Zuko wasn’t going to budge unless Sokka forced him to, and that was not how a pack alpha behaved, especially toward the pack omega. So.

“Okay,” he said. “Aang. I want you to start meditating with Zuko in the mornings.”

Aang jumped to his feet and saluted. “Understood, Alpha Sokka sir!”

“Katara, I want you to keep an eye on Zuko when he’s practicing, especially if he’s badgermoled into sparring with the local soldiers.”

Katara nodded sharply, the hand not still on Zuko’s shoulder dropping to the waterskin at her waist.

“Zuko, try to make sure one of us is with you at all times. Do you think you can handle sharing Aang’s bed? I know you were all excited to have your own bed again, but that leaves you vulnerable.”

Zuko nodded, though he obviously wasn’t happy about it, if the way he locked down his scent was any indication. “If Aang doesn’t mind.”

“I don’t,” Aang assured him brightly, not picking up on the signs Sokka was starting to see, probably because the signs were all actually a significant _lack_ of signs.

“Just until we’re out of here,” Sokka promised Zuko. “And we’ll make nice with Fong for now, but if he tries anything else, we are _gone,_ am I clear?”

Zuko nodded, letting up on his scent control a little, which… that had to be a good thing, right? If no scent at all was bad, then some was better, even if it was unhappy. That made sense, right?

“If it comes down to it, we can always just head to Omashu,” Aang added. “It’s not that far away, and I bet Bumi could teach me a thing or two.”

“Crazy King Bumi is an excellent backup plan,” Sokka agreed, and hoped he wasn’t imagining the way Zuko’s shoulders relaxed slightly. “Don’t worry, Zuko: we’ll make this work either way. Aang’s bending is important, but so are you. Okay?”

Zuko nodded again. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he promised.

* * *

The road from Lai Xao to Changzi was incredibly long and incredibly boring. If not for all the trees, they might have been able to see the ocean as they plodded northward along the west coast of Lin Yu, which would have been marginally less boring, but all Mai could see on all sides was trees, trees, and more trees, along with some trees and a few extra trees. Lin Yu’s main export was lumber, and it _showed._

They were a long way yet from the part of the colony Zhao had burned down, injuring the previous governor badly enough to warrant being sent back to the Fire Nation to recover and leaving the position open for Father once word got out Azula had turned traitor and it became dangerous for Mai to stay in Caldera.

“Don’t slouch, dear,” Mother chided her absently from the other side of the carriage, and Mai obediently sat straighter with a sigh. “And don’t sigh. It’s unbecoming.”

“Yes, Mother,” Mai replied, dutifully not sighing. She continued to stare out the carriage window at the endless march of passing trees, counting up days and travel time in her head and trying to figure out how much longer it would be before they reached Changzi and her chance to escape would be over.

Mother sighed, because apparently it wasn’t unbecoming for _her_. “I just don’t know what we’re going to do with you, Mai,” she confessed. “I know Princess Azula had certain tastes you had to appeal to, but now you’ve got all these bad habits.”

“Azula was never going to marry me, Mother,” Mai pointed out. Azula had outright stated as much multiple times, in public and in private, but Mother had insisted she was just being coy.

“She would have come around in time, dear,” Mother assured her. “You’re a very pretty omega.”

Since she wasn’t facing her mother, Mai felt safe in rolling her eyes. “Can we please talk about literally anything else?” she asked.

Mother sighed again. If not for her complete lack of self-awareness, Mai would have suspected her of rubbing it in that she was allowed to express her doneness with this conversation but Mai wasn’t.

“Once your father is settled in Changzi, we’re going to do something about that attitude of yours,” Mother threatened.

Mai sighed the loudest, most obnoxious sigh she could manage. _Ty Lee, where in Agni’s name are you?_ she wondered.

Tom Tom laughed, clapping his hands from his spot on Mother’s lap, and Mai let herself smile softly, just for a second.

Something flickered in the corner of her eye, out among the trees. She didn’t turn to look at it head-on as it flickered again. There were people out there, pacing the carriage.

_About frosted time._

Someone whistled sharply, and the shadows converged, turning into people as they burst out of cover and onto the narrow road, blocking the carriage’s path. The ostrich-horses squawked, scrabbling to a halt at the sudden obstacle.

Mother’s eyes went wide as she clutched at Tom Tom. “Bandits!” she gasped.

Mai had to work much harder than usual to keep herself from smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Mai aids in her own kidnapping, Azula and Yue continue to give Kallik ulcers, and Fong makes some new enemies.


	21. (Fong Does Make Some New Enemies)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: there is a non-graphic rape threat in this chapter which is not followed through with. Proceed with caution if this can be upsetting or triggering for you.

Mai was out of the carriage before Mother could stop her, hands full of knives just in case as she scanned the half-dozen or so people across the path. Most were naturally complete strangers, but she recognized Ty Lee at the head of the group immediately, even dressed in Earth Kingdom greens with her hair in a low braid instead of a braided phoenix tail.

Mai slid her knives back up her sleeves, relaxing. “You’re late,” she said.

“It’s been exactly two weeks,” Ty Lee protested. “I counted. Hi, Mrs. Michi!” she added, waving to Mother.

“Ty Lee? What in the world-”

“We’re gonna kidnap Mai now, okay?”

“Wha- I-”

“Mother,” Mai said, leaning back into the carriage long enough to grab her red phoenix flower-patterned bag. “I’m going with Ty Lee. You can’t stop me.”

“But it’s not safe!” Mother protested.

“There’s nowhere in the world safer for me than wherever Ty Lee is,” Mai said, with more feeling than she meant to.

“Darling, what do I tell your father?”

“That’s up to you. Take care of Tom Tom. Don’t worry about me.”

Tom Tom burbled, and Mother glanced down at him, then back up at Mai. “You’re going to _her_ , aren’t you?”

Mai nodded. She wasn’t, not the way Mother meant, but for Mother an omega chasing rashly after an alpha for the sake of love was easier to understand than the shaky not-quite-pack bond that called Mai to stand with Azula no matter what. Mother’s world was a very narrow one, and Mai’s hadn’t fit in it for years now. She was used to pretending that it did. No need to go rocking the boat now.

Mother nodded. “I’ll tell your father I sent you to your aunt’s,” she promised. “Please be safe, darling. I love you.”

“I will, Mother,” Mai promised, closing the carriage door.

Ty Lee’s friends moved out of the way and the carriage started moving again. Tom Tom waved over Mother’s shoulder, then they were gone.

Ty Lee bounded over, grinning excitedly. “I missed you!”

Mai sighed. “In honor of our reunion, you may hug me for no more than five seconds.”

Ty Lee squealed and proceeded to hug her for definitely more than five seconds, not letting go until Mai jabbed her in the side.

“Did you really become a highway robber?”

“Of course not, silly,” Ty Lee said, laughing. “We’ve been _preventing_ highway robberies! Doesn’t pay as well, but it’s much better for our karmic balance.”

“Apparently my aura’s never been clearer,” one of the strangers spoke up, shrugging like he didn’t understand what that meant but took Ty Lee’s word that it was a good thing.

Ty Lee’s friends were a mixed bag, to say the least. The one who’d spoken was a beta, twig-thin and taller than Mai. Another beta was about the same height, but was built like a stone wall. The girl between them was aggressively plain and forgettable in every way, blending into the background even in the middle of the road, and was either unpresented or as good at suppressing her scent as Zuko, and not even Mai could manage that. Next to the twig was a short person wearing so many mismatched threadbare layers that their hair color was impossible to determine, nevermind their primary gender, but their scent was that of an omega. Peeking out from behind the wall was a little kid who was definitely too young to have presented yet, wearing a helmet several sizes too big for him.

“Oh, right: introductions!” Ty Lee exclaimed, hurrying back to gesture at the twig and the omega of indeterminate primary gender. “This is Ten and this is Lin. This is Jiji,” the girl in the middle of the group, “this is Pipsqueak,” the wall, “and this,” the kid, who apparently warranted a hug, “is The Duke. Everyone, this is Mai.”

None of their gazes were particularly friendly, but none of them were openly hostile. That was good enough for Mai.

“Who has the map?” Ty Lee asked. Lin produced it from somewhere amid their many layers, holding it out. “Thank you, Lin. Come on, Mai, let’s figure out what to do now.”

Mai nodded, following Ty Lee a short distance into the trees, to a small clearing centered around a large waist-high boulder. Ty Lee unrolled the map and laid it out on top of the boulder, pinning it in place with a few smaller rocks.

“Have you got your letter?”

Mai reached up her sleeve, pulling out a tightly folded scrap of paper. She unfolded it carefully, laying it flat on the boulder and holding it there so Ty Lee could see Azula’s painfully perfect brushwork.

“Mine says a sea voyage might be a good excuse to get out of town,” she said. “Given what I overheard before we left, Azula’s probably using one of the ships that went North to move around. The question is where she’s going to ground.”

The paper Ty Lee produced was much more sloppily folded, slightly wrinkled, and had gotten wet at some point or another. She laid it out next to Mai’s letter.

“Mine says it would be smart to go somewhere I’d blend in a little better.”

Mai frowned down at the letters, then at the map, mentally filtering through the many codes and signals Azula had developed over the years and the logic that went into most of them.

“Definitely Chameleon Bay,” she decided, running her finger across the vast inked landmass of the Earth Kingdom, from Lin Yu to Chameleon Bay, clear on the other coast. Her frown deepened slightly. “That’s a fair distance.”

Ty Lee pouted thoughtfully down at the map. “I have relatives that can help us get out of Lin Yu and through Yu Dao,” she said. “After that we’d be on our own, though.”

“We’re big girls,” Mai said. “We’ll manage.”

Ty Lee looked up at her, all smiles again. “Your aura’s so shiny when you’re excited,” she commented happily.

Mai didn’t blush. Really. Anyone who claimed otherwise would be stabbed.

Ty Lee smiled wider, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Any thoughts on our route?”

“South,” Mai said immediately. “Crossing the desert is practically suicide, and so is getting too close to Ba Sing Se; the army’s concentrated there at the moment, and someone might recognize us. South is longer, but much safer. If we move fast, we can get past Omashu without trouble.”

“Good idea,” Ty Lee said. “I’ll inform my people, and we can head out today.”

Someone cleared their throat, and Mai turned, one hand dipping automatically into her sleeve, but it turned out to be Pipsqueak and The Duke, standing awkwardly a short distance away.

“Are you leaving us, Ty Lee?” The Duke asked.

“I promised you could stick with me as long as you wanted and I meant it,” Ty Lee assured him, crouching down so she could look him in the eye. “Mai and me have to go meet a very good friend so we can help her out, but you’re welcome to come with us. It’s up to you.”

The Duke glanced up at Mai suspiciously. “Are you two gonna make out a lot?” he asked.

If it was at all in Mai’s character, she would have sputtered. As it was, she confined her reaction to a stiff glare. “No, we aren’t,” she snapped.

“We promise not to make out until after you’re in bed,” Ty Lee said, smiling brightly. “Deal?”

The Duke considered that for a long moment, then nodded, holding out a hand. “Deal,” he said.

Ty Lee shook his hand, still smiling, and stood. “Go get your stuff packed up; we're gonna leave just as soon as I talk to the others.”

“Gotcha,” The Duke said, saluting sloppily before marching off with Pipsqueak at his heels.

“That is one weird kid,” Mai commented. This wasn’t necessarily a negative comment, coming from her.

* * *

Azula was too well-bred to cackle outside of certain specific situations, and no matter how much she _wanted_ to cackle, she knew that this situation didn’t count.

‘This situation’ being sitting at a portable table set up on the deck of the _Arashi_ teaching Princess Yue how to play two-ten-lord and watching Yue’s guard Kallik (he’d stood up to her, of course she was going to remember his name) get scowlier every time Azula managed to touch Yue’s hand or make her giggle.

Yue frowned adorably as she played her last card, sighing. “I’m pretty sure you won,” she said.

“But not by as much as last time,” Azula assured her, reaching for the cards at the same time Yue did, so that her hand wound up resting lightly on the back of Yue’s.

Kallik cleared his throat, glaring meaningfully at their still-touching hands. Azula smiled sweetly and twined her fingers with Yue’s; Kallik and Yue both turned equally delightful shades of red, for very different reasons.

“If your throat is bothering you, guard,” she said, tone just as fakely sweet as her smile, “you should go get something to drink. I can protect her Highness in your absence.”

Kallik glared at her. Yue turned just a little bit redder.

All in all, Azula was having a great time. Kallik? Not so much.

* * *

Daddy had once suggested that, if they ever really wanted to, Yuka could probably befriend a polar bear goose flock. Papa and Mama had both laughed and told Daddy not to give them any ideas.

Since Yuka was currently sitting at one of the mess hall tables having an animated chat with a pair of Fire Nation soldiers, Yura was inclined to believe that Daddy had been on to something.

Yura collected her tray of food - mainly unfamiliar dishes that probably came from the Fire Nation, but someone had braved the cook long enough to make a pot of stewed sea prunes - and hesitated a moment before walking over and sitting firmly next to Yuka, rather than with Master Pakku and the other waterbenders like she had been.

One of the soldiers looked up with an almost boyish grin and waved. “You must be Yura,” he said. “Yuka’s told us all about you.”

The other soldier, a woman with her hair pulled back in a stern bun that Yura had seen sparring with Princess Azula, grinned a decidedly more lobster-wolfish grin. “Saw you showing up those boys in your class earlier,” she commented. “Good job. I’m Teruko, this is Kyo.”

“Nice to meet you both,” Yura said politely, eying the bowl of rice that was apparently served with _every_ Fire Nation meal. This bowl looked decidedly orange. Yura did not trust orange rice.

“Something wrong with your spice rice?” Kyo asked.

“Is it orange because it’s spicy?”

“I mean it’s not _that_ spicy,” Kyo said with a shrug. “Dekku doesn’t make the _really_ spicy stuff except for Prince Zuko. Do you not want it?”

Yura continued to eye the rice in question until Yuka reached for it. Then she slapped her twin’s fingers, pulling her tray to a safer distance. “Hands to yourself, you insatiable lobster-wolf!”

Yuka pouted, pulling their hand back. “You know you’re just going to eat three bites and then fill up on sea prunes,” they insisted.

“I don’t know that, in fact,” Yura said. “I’m developing a taste for spicy stuff, even if sea prunes will always be superior.”

“Are those prune thingies really that good?” Kyo asked, frowning down at the full bowl on Yura’s tray and the empty one on Yuka’s.

“I don’t know anyone who dislikes them,” Yura said with a shrug, popping one in her mouth.

Kyo continued to study the bowl for a moment before suddenly standing. “That’s it, I’m caving,” he said. “Genji, I’m caving!”

Someone across the room whooped excitedly, and Yura thought she saw money changing hands at various tables as Kyo marched across the mess hall, then back with his own bowl of sea prunes.

“What’s happening?” she asked.

“Genji started a betting pool on who’d crack and try your food first,” Teruko explained. “My money was on Dekku; can’t believe he let someone cook in his kitchen without testing it.”

“If he did, you know neither of them would ever tell us,” Kyo said. “I mean, a way to cheat at a betting pool _and_ cover for his husband? He’d be physically incapable of ruining it.”

“Shut up and eat your sea prunes, Helmsman,” Teruko said with a laugh.

It took a bit more cajoling, from Fire Nation and Water Tribe both, but Kyo did eventually eat a sea prune. He was not a fan. More money changed hands in the corner of Yura’s eye as she claimed the bowl for herself, downing every last prune with a sunny smile under Kyo’s increasingly appalled gaze.

* * *

Sharing a bed with Aang was very different from sharing with Azula. Azula always maintained contact, even in her sleep, but Aang _clung_. He was a regular koala-sloth, wrapping all four limbs around anyone and anything that wandered close enough and holding on tight. Zuko suspected that this had as much to do with Sokka’s decision on whose bed Zuko should share as Aang’s age and status did: anybody attempting to steal him would be forced to steal Aang, too.

It did present a bit of a problem when he needed the bathroom in the middle of the night, though.

It took Zuko almost ten minutes to work himself free, eventually resorting to substituting Momo for his arm with a silent promise to make it up to the lemur later. Momo chittered and glared, but allowed it.

“I’ll be right back,” he whispered, glancing at Sokka and Katara asleep in their own beds across the room before slipping out into the hall.

Where the floor promptly disappeared under him.

He landed on his side one floor down, hard enough to drive the breath out of him, clearing the last fog of sleep from his mind, and he realized just a minute too late that wandering around alone at night in a stone fort full of hostile earthbenders was maybe not the best idea he’d ever had.

Before he collected himself enough to sit up, much less stand, someone grabbed him from behind, hauling him to his feet.

“Hello, Prince Zuko,” Fong said from somewhere in front of him as the person holding him snapped metal cuffs around his wrists. “What has you wandering restricted areas in the middle of the night?”

“Asshole earthbenders,” Zuko replied. It earned him a slap to the face, on the scarred side.

Fong muttered something to the soldiers with him and set off down the hall. Zuko didn’t resist being dragged after him, knowing it was pointless. He’d probably have to wait until morning to escape, assuming the others didn’t wake up sooner and realize he was missing.

Fong led the way to a bare stone room with a single shielded lantern hanging from the ceiling and no windows. The person holding Zuko threw him inside with way more force than necessary, probably bruising his shoulder and scraping his arm.

Fong knelt next to him, smiling almost pleasantly. “Comfy, your Highness?”

“They won’t believe you,” Zuko informed him. “Aang and the others. No matter what lies you tell them, they won’t believe any of it.”

“By the time I’m through with you, your Highness,” Fong promised, “you’ll be telling them the lies yourself.”

Zuko laughed. “Good luck with that,” he said. As if a little pain was going to do anything but piss him off.

“Omegas like you are easy to break, your Highness,” Fong said almost conversationally, grabbing a fistful of hair and yanking Zuko’s head back, forcing him to make eye contact. “All we have to do is knot you enough times, and you’ll do _anything_ to make it stop.”

Zuko tried very, very hard to keep from reacting. He didn’t quite manage. Some of his fear showed through, and Fong smiled.

“As distasteful as the thought of bedding a Fire Nation whore is, it’s a sacrifice I and my soldiers will make for the sake of the world.”

“If you want to make a sacrifice for the sake of the world,” Zuko said, forcing his voice not to shake the way it wanted to, “go bother a hippo-scorpion.”

Fong’s smile didn’t so much as twitch as he buried his fist in Zuko’s stomach.

“Don’t worry,” he said, standing and pulling Zuko up with him, still holding him by his hair. “We’ll work our way up to that. For now, let’s talk about the Fire Lord.”

“Jump in an active volcano.”

Things went rapidly downhill from there.

* * *

“Katara. Katara, wake up.”

Katara groaned, burying herself further under her blanket. “S’late,” she complained. “M’sleepin’.”

“Katara, Zuko’s gone.”

It took a moment for that to filter through, but when it did, Katara bolted upright so fast she almost slammed into Aang. _“What?”_

Aang scrambled back, biting his lip. “He was here an hour ago, I swear, but Momo woke me up and Zuko’s gone and his side of the bed’s cold, and Sokka gave me _one job!”_

“Aang, calm down,” Katara said, shoving the blankets off and standing. “Where’s-”

“Already up,” Sokka answered grimly. “It must’ve been Fong. We need to find them, before Fong does something he’ll regret.”

Katara nodded, grabbing her waterskin and shoving her feet into her boots. Sokka had already grabbed Zuko’s swords, so they left the room in a little knot with Momo gliding behind them. The corridor was empty and eerily quiet as they hurried down it.

They reached the courtyard, where several soldiers were gathered despite the late hour. Those nearest them went pale in the moonlight as soon as they were spotted.

“Where is Zuko?” Aang demanded.

No one answered him.

“Whe **re,** ” he repeated, his voice seeming to swell into an echoing, angry chorus as his eyes and tattoos began to glow and his clothing fluttering in a sudden sharp, sourceless wind, “ **Is.** **_Zuko._ **”

Still no one answered as the Avatar State took Aang completely, and Katara was torn between trying to calm him down and trying to find Zuko.

Sokka rounded on the nearest soldier. “Hey!” he yelled. “Where’s Zuko?” The soldier turned to run, so Katara froze his feet to the ground for him. “Tell us where he is, before the Avatar turns this mountain range into a sea trench!”

The man stammered out directions, and Sokka tore back inside. Katara glanced at Aang one last time, then followed Sokka.

The directions were vague and a little jumbled, leading them down winding halls to a block of dark little stone cells. Fong was nowhere to be found, so Katara spent a bit of her fury on subduing the soldiers he’d left behind to guard Zuko. Zuko, who was shackled like a common criminal and covered in bruises on every visible part of him.

“Oh, _Zuko,_ ” she groaned, dropping to her knees next to him while Sokka got the key away from one of the guards and unlocked the cuffs.

“I’m okay,” Zuko said, because of course he did. “What’s happening? Where’s Aang?”

“Making a miniature hurricane in the courtyard because you’re missing,” Sokka said before Katara could stop him.

Zuko went pale under his bruises and shook off Katara’s hands, shooting up and out of the room at a dead run. Katara scrambled to her feet and followed.

* * *

Zuko hit the courtyard and stopped, breath hitching against what felt like a bruised rib.

Aang hung in the air in the middle of a whirlwind at the center of the courtyard, clothing whipping around him, his eyes and airbender tattoos glowing a searing white, face locked in an uncharacteristic scowl.

“Aang!”

Aang turned slightly toward him but didn’t respond otherwise.

Katara caught up to him, panting. “He’s in the Avatar State,” she said, catching herself on the archway. “He can’t- he’s not himself.”

Zuko nodded, turning back to Aang. Not himself. This probably wasn’t anything like Azula’s rages or a feral alpha, but ‘not himself’ was still a state Zuko had a lot of practice at calling people back from. He was the pack’s omega: this was his job.

He could do this.

“Aang!” he called again, moving further into the open despite Katara’s strangled protest.

Aang turned more fully toward him, scowl easing. Zuko forced his scent into soothing and comfort, as strong as he could manage, stopping at the edge of the whirlwind.

“Aang, I’m okay,” he said, keeping his voice steady through will alone. “You can stop now. You can come back to us.” The wind died down, just a little. “Aang, please come back to us.”

Katara stepped up next to him, wrapping a hand around a section of his upper arm that wasn’t bruised. “Aang, come back,” she called, her own scent deep and grounding and _safe_ in a way no beta had ever smelled to Zuko before, as if she had the steadiness and the strength to hold the entire world. “Please.”

Both of them together, both their voices and both their scents, seemed to reach Aang. He blinked, the glow in his eyes and along his skin fading as the wind began to die down. He seemed to fall in slow motion, and Katara stepped forward to catch him as the glow faded completely and Aang blinked up at them.

“What happened?” Aang asked, then- “Zuko!” He scrambled to his feet, biting his lip. “You’re hurt. They hurt you.”

“I’m okay,” Zuko assured him. “Katara and Sokka got me out while you kept everyone distracted. Thank you.”

Aang looked like he wanted nothing more than to throw himself into Zuko’s arms for a hug but didn’t dare. Zuko almost offered, anyway, but movement to the side distracted him as Fong himself stepped around a pile of rubble he’d apparently been hiding behind.

“Such power!” Fong exclaimed. Zuko tensed at the sound of his voice, but managed not to react beyond that. “Such ferocity! Why, with the Avatar leading our armies, we would-”

Fong cut off with a weird sort of strangled squeak, collapsing to the ground. Standing behind him, club still raised, was Sokka.

“Anybody else have something to say?” he demanded, scowling at the soldiers scattered among the rubble littering the courtyard.

Wisely, all of them kept their mouths shut.

Sokka nodded to himself, stowing his club, and crossed to the rest of the pack. “Let’s go,” he said. “If we hurry, we can be in Omashu before lunch.”

Aang hurried ahead of them to get Appa ready to go. Luckily, all their stuff was still with him, so they wouldn’t have to go back inside the fort to get anything: just the thought of going back in there made Zuko shiver.

Sokka hesitated a moment before slipping under Zuko’s arm, supporting him carefully. Katara walked beside them, one hand on her waterskin, until they reached Appa, then helped Sokka help Zuko into the saddle. Sokka moved to take the reins while Katara knelt next to Zuko, coating her hand in glowing water and laying it over his wrist. Aang sat on his other side, leaning against his shoulder carefully.

“I can’t wait to introduce you to Bumi,” Aang said while Katara worked on healing him and Appa rose smoothly toward the night sky. “You’ll love him; he’s the best kind of crazy.”

“Looking forward to it,” Zuko said, forcing himself not to flinch when Katara moved up to his split lip and the bruises on his face, too close to his scar for comfort, but that wasn’t her fault and he refused to do anything that might make her feel bad about it.

He’d upset his pack enough for one night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another 3900-word monster, but at least we're done with Fong's stupid face. Anybody wanna help me kick him off a cliff? The Ocean didn't get to eat Zhao in this fic, maybe we can give it Fong instead.
> 
> Up next, Zuko gets some surprise cuddles, a surprise reunion is had, and a wild Iroh appears!


	22. Bumi Says It's Kill Fong Hours

Aang had spent the whole flight to Omashu talking about Bumi. How crazy he was, how smart he was, how good he was at earthbending, all the things they’d done when they were both kids. He’d talked about nothing but Bumi, telling Zuko everything he could think of to fill the awkward silence after Katara finished healing him and they had nothing else to do but wait until they got there.

One thing Aang had neglected to mention, however, was that Bumi was an omega.

Maybe that wasn’t important to Aang, who probably had trouble remembering that Bumi had presented at all, but to Zuko - especially right now - there was a very vital piece of information. Other omegas were safe, in a sense of deep instinctual solidarity that said other omegas could be trusted and relied on unconditionally and would always protect him, no matter what. That was why Azula trusted Mai so much, why Ty Lee was a friend but Mai was his _best_ friend. Omegas were _safe_ , and even though Katara had healed his injuries, Zuko could still feel them under his skin, still hear Fong in the back of his mind, and he needed the safety of another omega right now.

Bumi was larger than life, dressed in a tacky purple robe wearing a ridiculous feathered hat, and Zuko thought as he slid off Appa’s back and watched Bumi engulf Aang in a hug that the only people he could possibly be happier to see were Mai herself and Azula.

“I see you have a new addition,” Bumi noted, releasing Aang and turning to Zuko. “Bit scrawny, isn’t he?”

“Excuse you, your kingliness,” Sokka objected, proving it was royalty in general he didn’t know how to act around and not just royalty his own age. “Zuko’s physique is perfect and I will _fight you_ if you say otherwise.”

Bumi laughed, sweeping Sokka, Katara, and Zuko up in a group hug that Aang managed to insert himself into.

“You’re just in time for second lunch,” Bumi informed them once he let them go again. “That’s the best lunch of the day!”

“Excellent,” Sokka said, grinning. “Hey, have you got any more of that candy rock stuff? And can I have some without being trapped in it first?”

“Candy rock stuff?” Zuko repeated, which led to a recounting of what had happened the last time Aang, Sokka, and Katara had visited Omashu (between Kyoshi Island and Crescent Island) while Bumi led the way inside.

It… probably hadn’t been as dangerous as it sounded. He hoped.

They ended up in a large, open hall centered on a long stone table. Most of the table was bare, with one end piled with so much food that the weight probably would have flipped a wooden table. They were invited to sit; Zuko wound up next to Sokka, with King Bumi at the head of the table on Sokka’s other side and Aang and Katara across from him, in a position to watch the doors and the windows without being obvious about it.

The food was good. Zuko forced himself to eat, even though he didn’t feel at all hungry. He didn’t participate in the retelling of what had happened with Fong, letting the others fill in what they knew and leaving it at that. Thankfully, Bumi didn’t ask many questions, and the conversation quickly turned to the possibility of Bumi teaching Aang earthbending.

To everyone’s surprise, Bumi refused, claiming he wasn’t the right person to teach Aang, and no amount of Aang’s best polar puppy eyes would sway him.

“I’ll talk you into it,” Aang said confidently, giving up for now. “Hey, is the refurbished chamber which was once bad still available?”

“Of course,” Bumi said. “It’s reserved especially for cabbage-destroying Avatars.”

“I’m a cabbage-destroying Avatar!” Aang exclaimed, raising his hand. “I’ve destroyed at least three cabbage carts since we were here last!”

“Aang, that’s not something you should be boasting about,” Katara pointed out.

“Right,” Aang said, dropping his hand and adopting a mournful expression. “I’m very sorry for all the cabbages I’ve destroyed.”

Zuko relaxed back in his chair, letting the conversation wash over him. For the first time since they’d landed at Fong’s base, he felt like he could really breathe again. Like everything was going to be okay.

* * *

Yue was, she admitted, not the most worldly of alphas. She had never left the city in which she’d been born before this voyage, and she’d lived most of her life sequestered in the palace and sheltered from anything Father thought might be upsetting to her. She was, however, very smart, a quick study, and a dedicated student, whether her teacher knew they had a student or not.

Since they’d first met back in Agna Qel’a, Yue had known very well that Azula was flirting with her. It wasn’t proper behavior for her to _acknowledge_ it, but she most certainly _noticed_ , and she defied anybody the least bit interested in alphas or girls to insist they wouldn’t enjoy being flirted with by Azula, who was dazzlingly brilliant and sharp-witted and powerful and frankly unfairly pretty. Yue was very interested in alphas _and_ girls, and she had no problem admitting to herself that she liked Azula flirting with her.

The problem lay in the fact that Yue had no idea how to respond.

In the Northern Water Tribe, one simply did not flirt with royalty. One especially didn’t flirt with female alpha royalty; those few who might ignore convention to flirt with a princess were put off by her being an alpha. That was why Father hadn’t managed to finalize a betrothal before she turned sixteen, and why he’d been reduced to seriously considering marrying her off to _Hahn_ of all people.

Further, the Fire Nation and the Northern Water Tribe didn’t flirt in the same way _at all_. So no, she’d had absolutely no idea how to respond to Azula’s brazen flirting beyond a great deal of blushing.

But Yue was, as previously stated, very smart. And a quick study. And a dedicated student. And there were plenty of examples of Fire Nation flirting on this ship. Not just with each other, either; several of the warriors and waterbenders on the _Arashi_ had been flirted with by their hosts at this point. Flirting seemed almost to be an entire method of communication to the Fire Nation, and Yue was even becoming decent at telling when it was serious and when it was just passing the time.

(Eventually, Kallik would learn that Helmsman Kyo wasn’t serious about flirting with the twins. Hopefully _before_ he gave himself a heart attack his own daughter would have to save him from.)

After two weeks at sea, Yue felt she understood the basics fairly well. She had practiced as best she could alone in the privacy of her small cabin, spied on everyone who left themselves open to being spied on, and even found herself asking the cook a few things here and there. She felt she was as ready as she was going to be without practical experience.

“Good morning, Princess Yue,” Azula said with a smile as Yue stepped on deck in time to catch the last vestiges of what must have been a lovely sunrise, Kallik a pace or two behind her. “You’re certainly the prettiest thing I’ve seen today.”

Yue smiled back, cheeks heating before she’d even opened her mouth, but she managed to reply without stumbling over her words, at least. “I find that hard to believe, unless there are no mirrors in your cabin.”

Azula blinked, her own cheeks dusting faintly pink for a moment before she smiled.

“How kind of you to say, your Highness,” she purred, making Yue’s own blush worsen. “Oh, how lovely- you match the sunrise.”

Yue smiled in spite of her flaming cheeks. “You flatter me,” she demurred. “Am I in time to watch you spar?”

“A bit early, in fact. Master Pakku wanted the sun well up for our match. He seems to think I’ll need the advantage.”

“What shall we do to pass the time?”

Azula smiled so wickedly that Yue’s heart skipped a beat and Kallik cleared his throat pointedly.

“Perhaps a walk around the deck while your bodyguard gets something to soothe his throat?” she suggested sweetly, holding out her arm.

Yue laid her hand on Azula’s arm, ignoring Kallik’s strangled protest. “That sounds like a wonderful idea,” she agreed, smiling.

So they walked the deck, arm in arm, while the crew and Yue’s countrymen watched and Kallik glowered. She’d need a great deal more practice, but Yue had to admit that flirting the Fire Nation way was turning out to be a lot of fun.

* * *

Ty Lee was Fire Nation, but she wasn’t _Fire Nation_. Not that long ago, Pipsqueak would’ve said there wasn’t much difference there. Before the Fire prince and Gaipan, he’d say Fire Nation was Fire Nation and that was that.

But that was then and this was now, and now Pipsqueak knew there was a difference.

Ty Lee was nice. She was happy and friendly and knew cool tricks because she worked in a circus back in the Fire Nation. She did handstands and told fun stories and made The Duke laugh, and didn’t treat Pipsqueak like he was dumb just because he was big. She was Fire Nation, but Pipsqueak liked her, anyway.

Mai, on the other hand, he wasn’t so sure about.

Mai was Fire Nation, too; she also wasn’t _Fire Nation_ , but in a different way than Ty Lee. She was grumpy and quiet and always glaring at something if she wasn’t looking at Ty Lee, but she didn’t yell or hit or stab anyone. She didn’t talk down to The Duke or complain about having to live rough, but she never told stories or jokes and Pipsqueak had yet to hear her laugh, even when Ty Lee was being really funny. She wasn’t friendly or nice or soft like omegas were supposed to be, and she definitely had way more knives than omegas were supposed to have.

(Between Mai and Prince Zuko, he was starting to think maybe Fire Nation omegas were just Like That.)

So Pipsqueak wasn’t really sure how he felt about Mai. But he trusted Ty Lee, and Ty Lee trusted Mai, so he could trust Mai at least a little. For now.

Up ahead where Lin was scouting the path, Pipsqueak heard a whistle. It wasn’t one of the signals they’d used with Jet; once they’d teamed up with Ty Lee she’d helped them come up with new ones, because she didn’t like how dim their auras got when they used ones that reminded them of the Freedom Fighters. This one meant Lin had found a good spot to rest for a bit.

The Duke, somewhere behind him, cheered. “Lunchtime! Oops. I lost again, didn’t I?”

“You’re very bad at this game,” Mai said, all flat and quiet and kind of mean. Pipsqueak glared back over his shoulder at her, but her glare was much better than his so it didn’t really do much. “You need more practice.”

“Mai is the Quiet Game champion,” Ty Lee said cheerfully. “She once went two whole entire _days_ without making any noise at all!”

The Duke groaned. “I’m never gonna win!”

“Not with that attitude, you’re not,” Mai agreed, walking a bit faster so that she caught up to and passed Pipsqueak. Ty Lee skipped after her, smiling.

The Duke caught up to Pipsqueak and grabbed his hand. Pipsqueak stopped long enough for The Duke to climb up to his shoulders and get settled before he started walking again.

“I’m _gonna_ beat her,” The Duke informed Pipsqueak. “I’m gonna.”

“Why do you want to?”

“She said if I beat her she’ll gimme one of her knives.”

Pipsqueak nearly tripped over his own feet. “Bee said you’re too young for knives.”

The Duke harrumphed. “Bee’s not here,” he pointed out. “She went with stupid Jet. ‘Sides, Mai says if I beat her I’ll be diss-plinned enough, and she’ll teach me.”

Pipsqueak glared hard at the back of Mai’s head. She didn’t even twitch.

The Duke spent the entire walk to Lin’s spot and their entire break talking about all the cool things he wanted to learn to do with knives. Pipsqueak took comfort in the fact that he was definitely not gonna beat Mai at the Quiet Game for a very long time.

* * *

It had been some time since Iroh had visited the colonies. He’d preferred for the last three years to stay close to Caldera whenever possible, trying his best to look after and protect Zuko, even after Azula had managed to turn his nephew against him. Zuko was all he had left in this world, and Iroh had been determined not to fail him, despite the obstacles in his path.

Still, he had dutifully maintained a network of contacts in the colonies and beyond, and while he was certain Ozai knew of some of them, he was equally certain his brother did not know the breadth of the network, nor the nature of most of those contacts, and he intended to keep it that way. It took some doing, but he did eventually manage to cajol the crew of his ship into letting him go ashore alone.

He wandered, seemingly aimlessly, through the port town, picking up bits and pieces of gossip, snatches of news that had filtered out of the North. Much of it matches surprisingly well with what his own, much closer, sources had reported, but some was obviously wild conjecture that could be dismissed out of hand. There were rumors of Azula and her plundered fleet, making haste south, with claims of coastal villages and ports destroyed and even a claim or two that she’d stopped long enough to lay waste to Ba Sing Se, just because she could. There were rumors of the Avatar as well, but precious little about any of his companions and almost nothing at all about Zuko. No word on the state of his health or how he was being treated by his captors, and conflicting reports as to where in the world they even were.

After hours, finally certain that no one from the ship had managed to follow him this far, Iroh stopped at an unassuming teahouse overlooking the bay, where a man near his own age sat dozing over a Pai Sho board.

“May I have this game, friend?” he asked politely.

The man looked up, eyeing him a moment, then gestured to the empty seat across from him. “The guest has the first move,” he said.

Iroh sat, patiently running through the entire recognition ceremony, until the last tile was set and the man spread his hands over the board.

“Welcome, brother. The White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets.”

Iroh smiled, sitting back. “I have questions regarding a troublesome knotweed enthusiast,” he said. “And a message to send to a fellow player who has overused his boat tile in our current game.”

They sat and talked another hour more before Iroh was satisfied, returning to his ship, reporting candidly on the rumors he had heard in the city at large but keeping to himself the information gleaned during his game. Ozai would use that information to condemn Zuko, he knew: if his silence was the only way to protect his nephew currently, then Iroh would gladly hold his tongue.

* * *

Zuko woke with a sharp inhale that wanted to be a cry but got stuck in his throat, staring up at the ceiling for a long moment before he remembered where he was and could force himself to relax. To breathe normally.

He was okay. He was safe.

He sat up, sighing, and glanced around the room. The other three were still sound asleep, which meant he hadn’t made enough noise to wake them, thank Agni.

Aang was sprawled facedown across the bed closest to him, snoring quietly with Momo curled up on the small of his back, and Zuko wanted nothing more than to curl up with him. But he’d been so vocal about wanting his own bed that he couldn’t change his mind now, and it wasn’t right to force his way into Aang’s space just because he couldn’t get over a little torture.

So he stood and moved as quietly as he could to the door, easing it open. He paused for a moment, steeling himself, and stepped out into the hall.

The floor didn’t vanish. He let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding and started walking.

Bumi’s palace was open and airy, richly decorated, as unlike Fong’s base as two giant stone buildings could be. It helped. A little.

He kept track of where he was, but wandered without a specific destination, trying to force his stupid brain to accept the fact that he was safe. That it was being dumb and should stop keeping him up.

They’d been in Omashu for _days_ now. He should be over this.

“You’re up awful late, little prince.”

Zuko jumped, whirling around and dropping into a defensive stance, but it was only King Bumi, wearing a different set of robes just as awful and gaudy as every other set he’d worn in the past three days.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Bumi asked.

“No, your Majesty,” Zuko answered, straightening quickly and trying to convince his heart to slow down.

Bumi nodded, sitting on one of the many stone benches set against the wall, patting the spot next to him and waiting for Zuko to sit down as well.

“Wanna talk about it?”

Zuko almost said no, almost gave in to the knee-jerk reflex of deny-and-repress that had been expected of him since presenting, but Bumi… Bumi was an omega. Bumi was old and an omega and safe and he just. He just needed to tell _someone_. It sat like poison in his chest and he needed to get it out before he couldn’t breathe around it anymore.

“Fong said it would be easy to break me,” he confessed quietly after several seconds of unbearable silence. Bumi already knew as much as the others did, so he didn’t need to force himself through the context, at least: he could just get it out and get it over with. “That all he had to do was- was force himself on me enough, let his soldiers- and I’d do anything he wanted.” His breathing stuttered, and so did the flame of every torch in the hall. “He didn’t- he didn’t have time, he got called out before he- but he would’ve. I _know_ he would’ve, I could see it in his eyes, and I… I keep having nightmares. About- about… him. Dishonoring me like that. I’m...” His voice dropped to a harsh whisper, rough with shame as he stared at the corridor floor. “I’m afraid to go back to sleep.”

He could just _hear_ Father’s disdain at his weakness, scared of dreams made up by his own brain. So afraid of something not even real that it kept him from sleeping. How pathetic.

Bumi hummed thoughtfully. “You want it to look like an accident, or the work of the spirits?” he asked.

“What?”

“Fong. I can make his death look like an accident or the work of the spirits. Which do you prefer?”

“Why are you going to kill Fong?” he asked, honestly lost, though he was discovering that wasn’t exactly unusual when one was talking to Bumi.

Bumi threw an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close. “Because,” he said, “us omegas need to stick together.”

“But he didn’t actually-”

“He would’ve,” Bumi pointed out. “That’s enough for me. The world’s better off without an alpha like that, anyway; I’d know, I’m 113 years old.”

“What does that-”

“What?” Bumi asked, slightly louder than necessary. “Speak up: I’m too old to hear!”

Zuko smiled in spite of himself, leaning more fully against Bumi. He was surprisingly solid under those tacky robes of his. Zuko had no doubts at all that Bumi could absolutely _destroy_ Fong, with or without earthbending.

They stayed like that, with Zuko wrapped up safe in the fortress of Bumi’s arms and his deep sharp black-earth scent as the moon crept across the sky outside and the torches burned lower around them, until the itch under Zuko’s skin was gone and he didn’t feel like Fong was waiting just out of sight for him to let his guard down again.

Reluctantly, Zuko sat up straighter, then sighed and climbed to his feet. Bumi let him, gnarled hand patting his shoulder with all the strength of a mountain held in careful check.

“Going back to bed?”

Zuko nodded. “I think I can sleep now. Thank you, your Majesty.”

“Just Bumi is fine, kiddo. Any packmate of Aang’s is a friend of mine.”

“Yes, your- Bumi.”

Bumi grinned up at him. “Speaking of Aang: he gives the _best_ cuddles, you know,” he commented. “You don’t even need to ask: just put yourself in grabbing range and wait.”

Zuko nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he promised. “And thank you. Really.”

Bumi waved, leaning back against the wall and closing his eyes; Zuko turned and retraced his footsteps back to the room where his pack was still sleeping peacefully.

Instead of going back to his own bed, Zuko sat carefully on the edge of Aang’s. Almost immediately, Aang’s hand crept out of the bedding and wrapped around his wrist, tugging. Zuko laid down, letting Aang commence koala-sloth cuddles, and closed his eyes.

He didn’t have another nightmare that night, _and_ he managed to sleep through sunrise.

Aang really did give the _best_ cuddles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time Fong sets foot in Omashu, he's getting launched directly into the stratosphere, and if he knows what's good for him, he'll _stay there_.

**Author's Note:**

> The crew of the _Arashi_ belong to [Muffinlance](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MuffinLance/profile), though their posting has received a bit of an upgrade. Good for them.
> 
> I have [a tumblr](https://praying-to-agni-at-midnight.tumblr.com/) where I am available for poking, questions, excited yelling, and/or shenanigans, should you so desire.


End file.
